"sure, certain" in seven languages
Meaningsure, certain
Spanish
seguro
/seˈɡuɾo/
inherited
Also 'safe' and, as a noun, 'insurance'.
French
sûr
/syʁ/
inherited
Old French seür; the circumflex only tells it apart from sur 'on'.
Italian
sicuro
/siˈkuro/
inherited
Also 'safe'.
Portuguese
seguro
/seˈɡuɾu/
inherited
'Are you sure?' is usually Tem certeza?, with the noun certeza.
Romanian
sigur
/ˈsiɡur/
inherited
Catalan
segur
/səˈɡu/
inherited
English
sure
/ʃʊɹ/
from Latin/French · Old French seur, sur
English → Italiansure, certainsicuroCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SĒCŪRUM‘free from care’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
English has SĒCŪRUS twice: 'sure' from Old French and 'secure' from Latin. Watch the medial c: Italian kept k, Spanish voiced it to g, French dropped it entirely.
English relatives: secure, security, sure (via French)
Sound laws at work
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In a sentence
- es¿Estás seguro?
- frTu es sûr ?
- itSei sicuro?
- ptVocê tem certeza?
- roEști sigur?
- caN'estàs segur?
- enAre you sure?