"to cost" in seven languages
Meaningto cost
Spanish
costar
/kosˈtaɾ/
inherited
Stem-changing: cuesta.
French
coûter
/kute/
inherited
Italian
costare
/kosˈtare/
inherited
Portuguese
custar
/kusˈtah/
inherited
Romanian
costa
/kosˈta/
borrowed · Italian costare
Catalan
costar
/kusˈta/
inherited
English
cost
/kɔst/
from Latin/French · Old French coster
English → Italianto costcostareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
CŌNSTĀRE‘to stand firm; to cost’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin already used CŌNSTĀRE for prices; spoken Latin dropped the n before s. French then lost the s as well, and the circumflex in coûter marks the gap.
English relatives: constant, cost
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEste libro cuesta diez euros.
- frCe livre coûte dix euros.
- itQuesto libro costa dieci euro.
- ptEste livro custa dez euros.
- roCartea asta costă zece euro.
- caAquest llibre costa deu euros.
- enThis book costs ten euros.
More in Core verbs
- to cutcortarcoupertagliarecortartăiatallar
- to holdsostenertenirteneresegurarțineaguantar
- to fight, to strugglelucharse battrelottarelutarluptalluitar
- to lead (be in charge of)dirigirdirigerdirigeredirigirconducedirigir
- to sharecompartirpartagercondividerecompartilharîmpărțicompartir
- to happenpasarse passersuccedereacontecerîntâmplapassar