"success" in seven languages
Meaningsuccess
Spanish
/ˈeksito/
masc.other source · Latin EXITUM 'way out, outcome' (learned)
French
/syksɛ/
masc.learned
Italian
/sutˈtʃɛsso/
masc.learned
Portuguese
/suˈsɛsu/
masc.learned
Romanian
/sukˈtʃes/
neut.borrowed · French succès
Catalan
/ˈɛɡzit/
masc.other source · Latin EXITUM 'way out, outcome' (learned)
English
/səkˈsɛs/
from Latin/French · Latin SUCCESSUS
Watch out: false friends
exit (English) means “way out” · éxito (Spanish) means “success”
Both from Latin EXITUS 'a going out; outcome'. Spanish took the happy outcome; English kept the door.
esito (Italian) means “outcome, result” · éxito (Spanish) means “success”
Both from Latin EXITUS 'a way out, outcome'. Italian esito is neutral; Spanish éxito is only the good result. The two languages swapped words with successo / suceso.
suceso (Spanish) means “event, incident” · successo (Italian) means “success”
Both from Latin SUCCESSUM 'a coming after, outcome'. Italian (with French succès) kept the good outcome; Spanish kept any outcome — often a grim one in the news.
The Latin ancestor
SUCCESSUM‘a coming after; outcome’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish éxito is a classic trap: it means success, not exit (salida). Both Latin words first meant 'how things turned out'; Spanish just chose the other one.
English relatives: succeed, succession; exit (es)
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl concierto fue un gran éxito.
- frLe concert a été un grand succès.
- itIl concerto è stato un grande successo.
- ptO show foi um enorme sucesso.
- roConcertul a fost un succes uriaș.
- caEl concert va ser un èxit enorme.
- enThe concert was a huge success.