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"thick" in seven languages

Meaningthick

Spanish

grueso

/ˈgɾweso/

other source · Latin GROSSUM 'thick, coarse'

For liquids and fog Spanish says espeso, the heir of SPISSUM.

French

épais

/epɛ/

inherited

fem.: épaisse

Italian

spesso

/ˈspesso/

inherited

Also the everyday adverb 'often'.

Portuguese

grosso

/ˈɡɾosu/

other source · Latin GROSSUM 'thick, coarse'

fem.: grossa

The feminine opens its vowel: grossa [ˈɡɾɔsɐ].

Romanian

gros

/ɡros/

other source · Latin GROSSUM 'thick, coarse'

Catalan

gruixut

/ɡɾuˈʃut/

other source · gruix 'thickness', from a spoken-Latin derivative of GROSSUM

Inherited espès (SPISSUM) survives for liquids and fog; gros means 'big'.

English

thick

/θɪk/

native English · Old English þicce

English → ItalianthickspessoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: gross, grocer (from GROSSUS).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SPISSUM‘thick, dense’

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

The story

SPISSUM shows the s+consonant rule: French épais, Spanish espeso, Italian spesso. For a thick book or wall Spanish uses grueso, the cousin of French gros 'big'.

English relatives: gross, grocer (from GROSSUS)

Sound laws at work

S + consonant at the start of a word

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In a sentence

  • esLas paredes son muy gruesas.
  • frLes murs sont très épais.
  • itI muri sono molto spessi.
  • ptAs paredes são muito grossas.
  • roPereții sunt foarte groși.
  • caLes parets són molt gruixudes.
  • enThe walls are very thick.

More in Describing words

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