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"speed" in seven languages

Meaningspeed

Spanish

velocidad

/beloθiˈdad/

fem.learned

French

vitesse

/vitɛs/

fem.other source · vite 'fast' (of obscure origin) + -esse

Italian

velocità

/velotʃiˈta/

fem.learned

Portuguese

velocidade

/velosiˈdadʒi/

fem.learned

Romanian

viteză

/viˈtezə/

fem.other source · French vitesse

Catalan

velocitat

/bəlusiˈtat/

fem.learned

English

speed

/spid/

native English · Old English spēd 'success, prosperity'

The old sense survives in 'Godspeed'.

English → ItalianspeedvelocitàNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: velocity.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

VĒLŌCITĀTEM‘swiftness (VĒLŌX 'swift')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spanish and Italian use learned VĒLŌCITĀS with their usual -dad / -tà endings; French built its own word on the adverb vite 'fast'. The speed limit is límite de velocidad, limitation de vitesse, limite di velocità.

English relatives: velocity

Sound laws at work

-TĀTEM: -dad, -té, -tà

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esEl tren alcanza una velocidad de 300 km/h.
  • frLe train atteint une vitesse de 300 km/h.
  • itIl treno raggiunge una velocità di 300 km/h.
  • ptO trem atinge uma velocidade de 300 km/h.
  • roTrenul atinge o viteză de 300 km/h.
  • caEl tren arriba a una velocitat de 300 km/h.
  • enThe train reaches a speed of 300 km/h.

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