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"to kill" in seven languages

Meaningto kill

Spanish

matar

/maˈtaɾ/

other source · of disputed origin (Latin *MATTĀRE 'to knock down' and Arabic māt 'dead' have both been proposed)

French

tuer

/tɥe/

other source · Latin TŪTĀRĪ 'to protect', by way of 'to quench, snuff out (a fire)'

Italian

uccidere

/utˈtʃidere/

inherited

Portuguese

matar

/maˈtah/

other source · of disputed origin (Latin *MATTĀRE 'to knock down' and Arabic māt 'dead' have both been proposed)

Romanian

omorî

/omoˈrɨ/

other source · Old Church Slavonic umoriti 'to kill'

Romanian also has ucide, from OCCĪDERE like Italian uccidere — the word of crime reports.

Catalan

matar

/məˈta/

other source · of disputed origin (Latin *MATTĀRE 'to knock down' and Arabic māt 'dead' have both been proposed)

English

kill

/kɪl/

native English · Middle English cullen, killen, probably from Old English

English → Italianto killuccidereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: homicide, suicide, decide (from CAEDERE, the root inside OCCĪDERE).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

OCCĪDERE‘to strike down, to kill (OB + CAEDERE 'to cut')’

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

The story

Only Italian kept the Latin verb. French tuer began as 'to protect' a fire by banking it, then 'to put out', then 'to kill'; Spanish matar is a long-standing etymological puzzle.

English relatives: homicide, suicide, decide (from CAEDERE, the root inside OCCĪDERE)

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In a sentence

  • esLa helada mató las plantas.
  • frLe gel a tué les plantes.
  • itIl gelo ha ucciso le piante.
  • ptA geada matou as plantas.
  • roGerul a omorât plantele.
  • caLa gelada va matar les plantes.
  • enThe frost killed the plants.

More in Core verbs

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