"to kiss" in seven languages
Meaningto kiss
Spanish
besar
/beˈsaɾ/
inherited
French
embrasser
/ɑ̃bʁase/
other source · en + bras 'arm' (Latin BRACCHIUM): 'to embrace'
Baiser, the heir of BASIĀRE, is now vulgar as a verb; the noun un baiser is fine.
Italian
baciare
/baˈtʃare/
inherited
Portuguese
beijar
/bejˈʒah/
inherited
Romanian
săruta
/səruˈta/
other source · Latin SALŪTĀRE 'to greet'
Catalan
besar
/bəˈza/
inherited
Also fer un petó.
English
kiss
/kɪs/
native English · Old English cyssan
English → Italianto kissbaciareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
BASIĀRE‘to kiss’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Most sisters kiss with BASIĀRE (besar, baciare, beijar); French 'embraces' (embrasser) since baiser turned crude, and Romanian kisses with a greeting: săruta, from SALŪTĀRE, with l → r.
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLo besó en la mejilla.
- frElle l'a embrassé sur la joue.
- itLo ha baciato sulla guancia.
- ptEla o beijou na bochecha.
- roL-a sărutat pe obraz.
- caEl va besar a la galta.
- enShe kissed him on the cheek.