Skip to content

"to feed" in seven languages

Meaningto feed

Spanish

alimentar

/alimenˈtaɾ/

other source · Spanish alimento 'food', from Latin ALIMENTUM (ALERE 'to nourish')

In everyday speech, dar de comer.

French

nourrir

/nuʁiʁ/

inherited

Italian

nutrire

/nuˈtrire/

learned

With pets and babies, Italians usually say dare da mangiare.

Portuguese

alimentar

/alimẽˈtah/

other source · Portuguese alimento 'food', from Latin ALIMENTUM (ALERE 'to nourish')

In everyday speech, dar comida.

Romanian

hrăni

/hrəˈni/

other source · Old Church Slavonic hraniti 'to keep, to feed'

Catalan

alimentar

/əlimənˈta/

other source · Catalan aliment 'food', from Latin ALIMENTUM (ALERE 'to nourish')

In everyday speech, donar menjar.

English

feed

/fid/

native English · Old English fēdan (related to food)

English → Italianto feednutrireNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: nourish, nutrition, nutrient, nurse.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

NUTRĪRE‘to nourish, to suckle’

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

The story

French nourrir is NUTRĪRE as worn down by speech; English nourish comes from it. Italian nutrire and English nutrition kept the bookish t.

English relatives: nourish, nutrition, nutrient, nurse

Learn it

Practice the Core verbs deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esProhibido alimentar a los animales.
  • frIl est interdit de nourrir les animaux.
  • itÈ vietato nutrire gli animali.
  • ptNão alimente os animais.
  • roNu hrăniți animalele.
  • caNo doneu menjar als animals.
  • enDon't feed the animals.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words