"surprise" in seven languages

Meaningsurprise

Spanish

sorpresa

/soɾˈpɾesa/

fem.borrowed · French surprise (sorprender ← French surprendre)

French

surprise

/syʁpʁiz/

fem.inherited

Built in French from sur 'over' + prendre 'to take'.

Italian

sorpresa

/sorˈpresa/

fem.borrowed · modelled on French surprise / surprendre

Portuguese

surpresa

/suhˈpɾezɐ/

fem.borrowed · French surprise

Romanian

surpriză

/surˈprizə/

fem.borrowed · French surprise

Catalan

sorpresa

/surˈpɾɛzə/

fem.borrowed · French surprise (sorprendre ← French surprendre)

English

surprise

/sɚˈpɹaɪz/

from Latin/French · Old French surprise

English → ItaliansurprisesorpresaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The ancestor

Old French surprise (sur + prendre ← PREHENDERE)‘a taking unawares’

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

A surprise is literally being 'over-taken'. French built the word from its own sur + prendre; Spanish and Italian adapted it with their prefix sor-.

English relatives: comprehend, apprehend, prison, prize (from PREHENDERE)