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"square (town square)" in seven languages

Meaningsquare (town square)

Spanish

plaza

/ˈplaθa/

fem.inherited

Keeps pl- (contrast llano from PLĀNUM), probably under learned or Gallo-Romance influence.

French

place

/plas/

fem.inherited

Italian

piazza

/ˈpjattsa/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

praça

/ˈpɾasɐ/

fem.inherited

Portuguese often turned pl- into pr-: PLATEAM → praça.

Romanian

piață

/ˈpjatsə/

fem.borrowed · Italian piazza

plural: piețe

Also 'market'.

Catalan

plaça

/ˈplasə/

fem.inherited

English

square

/skwɛɹ/

other source · Old French esquare, from Latin *EXQUADRĀRE 'to make square'

English → Italiansquare (town square)piazzaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: place, plaza, piazza.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PLATEAM‘broad street, open space (from Greek plateîa)’

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

The story

English place is the French word, so plaza, piazza and place are triplets. Italian shows the regular pl → pi and the -TJ- → zz.

English relatives: place, plaza, piazza

Sound laws at work

CL-, PL-, FL- at the start of a word

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esQuedamos en la plaza mayor.
  • frOn se retrouve sur la place principale.
  • itCi vediamo in piazza.
  • ptA gente se encontra na praça principal.
  • roNe vedem în piața centrală.
  • caQuedem a la plaça major.
  • enLet's meet in the main square.

More in Town & city

All Town & city words