"thread (for sewing)" in seven languages
Meaningthread (for sewing)
Spanish
hilo
/ˈilo/
masc.inherited
French
fil
/fil/
masc.inherited
Italian
filo
/ˈfilo/
masc.inherited
Portuguese
linha
/ˈliɲɐ/
fem.other source · Latin LĪNEAM 'linen thread'
Fio, the inherited FĪLUM word, means thread in general, yarn or wire.
Romanian
ață
/ˈatsə/
fem.other source · Latin ACIAM 'thread'
Catalan
fil
/fil/
masc.inherited
English
thread
/θɹɛd/
native English · Old English þrǣd
English → Italianthread (for sewing)filoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: filament, file (a row), fillet, profile.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
FĪLUM‘thread’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A textbook case of Spanish f- turning to a silent h: FĪLUM → hilo, beside French fil and Italian filo. All three also use it for the 'thread' of a story.
English relatives: filament, file (a row), fillet, profile
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esNecesito aguja e hilo.
- frJ'ai besoin d'une aiguille et de fil.
- itMi servono ago e filo.
- ptPreciso de agulha e linha.
- roAm nevoie de ac și ață.
- caNecessito una agulla i fil.
- enI need a needle and thread.