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"stick (of wood)" in seven languages

Meaningstick (of wood)

Spanish

palo

/ˈpalo/

masc.other source · Latin PĀLUM 'stake'

Bastón is a walking stick.

French

bâton

/batɔ̃/

masc.inherited

Italian

bastone

/basˈtone/

masc.inherited

Portuguese

graveto

/gɾaˈvetu/

masc.other source · of uncertain origin

A small stick or twig; pau (PĀLUM, with the -l- lost) is wood, a pole or a club.

Romanian

băț

/bəts/

neut.other source · of uncertain origin

plural: bețe

Catalan

pal

/pal/

masc.other source · Latin PĀLUM 'stake'

Bastó is a walking stick.

English

stick

/stɪk/

native English · Old English sticca

English → Italianstick (of wood)bastoneNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: baton; pole, pale (es).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

*BASTŌNEM‘stick, staff (Late Latin, origin uncertain)’

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

The story

French bâton wears a circumflex for the s that Italian bastone still says. A conductor's baton is the same word.

English relatives: baton; pole, pale (es)

Sound laws at work

French loses S before a consonant (^)

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In a sentence

  • esEl perro trae el palo.
  • frLe chien rapporte le bâton.
  • itIl cane riporta il bastone.
  • ptO cachorro traz o graveto de volta.
  • roCâinele aduce bățul înapoi.
  • caEl gos torna el pal.
  • enThe dog brings back the stick.

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