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"string (of an instrument), cord" in seven languages

Meaningstring (of an instrument), cord

Spanish

cuerda

/ˈkweɾda/

fem.inherited

Also rope; thin string is cordel or cuerda fina.

French

corde

/kɔʁd/

fem.inherited

Also rope; thin string is ficelle.

Italian

corda

/ˈkɔrda/

fem.inherited

Also rope; thin string is spago.

Portuguese

corda

/ˈkɔɾdɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

coardă

/ˈko̯ardə/

fem.inherited

Catalan

corda

/ˈkɔɾdə/

fem.inherited

English

string

/stɹɪŋ/

native English · Old English streng

English → Italianstring (of an instrument), cordcordaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: cord, chord, cordon, harpsichord.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CHORDAM‘gut string (Greek khordḗ)’

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

The story

Greek khordḗ was a gut string on a lyre. Spanish broke the open o into ue (cuerda); English borrowed the word twice, as cord and chord.

English relatives: cord, chord, cordon, harpsichord

Sound laws at work

Stressed short O breaks into ue / uo / eu

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esUna guitarra tiene seis cuerdas.
  • frUne guitare a six cordes.
  • itUna chitarra ha sei corde.
  • ptUm violão tem seis cordas.
  • roO chitară are șase coarde.
  • caUna guitarra té sis cordes.
  • enA guitar has six strings.

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