Skip to content

"steel" in seven languages

Meaningsteel

Spanish

acero

/aˈθeɾo/

masc.inherited

French

acier

/asje/

masc.inherited

Italian

acciaio

/atˈtʃajo/

masc.inherited

Portuguese

aço

/ˈasu/

masc.other source · spoken Latin *ACIUM, from ACIĒS 'sharp edge' (the exact formation is debated)

Romanian

oțel

/oˈtsel/

neut.borrowed · Slavic (Old Church Slavonic ocělĭ), itself from Latin ACIĀRIUM

Catalan

acer

/əˈse/

masc.inherited

English

steel

/stil/

native English · Old English stȳle / stēle

English → ItaliansteelacciaioNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: acute, acid, acerbic (same root 'sharp').What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

ACIĀRIUM (Late Latin)‘steel, edge-metal (from ACIĒS 'sharp edge')’

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

The story

Steel was 'the metal for edges'. The -ĀRIUM ending gives the textbook three-way split: -ero in Spanish, -ier in French, -aio in Italian.

English relatives: acute, acid, acerbic (same root 'sharp')

Sound laws at work

-ĀRIUM: -ero, -ier, -aioC before E and I

Learn it

Practice the Nature & weather deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esEl puente es de acero.
  • frLe pont est en acier.
  • itIl ponte è d'acciaio.
  • ptA ponte é de aço.
  • roPodul e din oțel.
  • caEl pont és d'acer.
  • enThe bridge is made of steel.

More in Nature & weather

All Nature & weather words