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"to remember" in seven languages

Meaningto remember

Spanish

recordar

/rekoɾˈdaɾ/

inherited

Also acordarse (de), from the same COR.

French

se souvenir

/sə suvniʁ/

other source · Latin SUBVENĪRE 'to come up, come to mind'

Takes de: je me souviens de lui.

Italian

ricordare

/rikorˈdare/

inherited

Also reflexive: ricordarsi di.

Portuguese

lembrar

/lẽˈbɾah/

other source · Latin MEMORĀRE 'to call to mind', via Old Portuguese nembrar

Recordar exists too, but lembrar is the everyday verb.

Romanian

aminti

/aminˈti/

other source · Romanian minte 'mind' (Latin MENTEM)

Used reflexively: îmi amintesc 'I remember'.

Catalan

recordar

/rəkuɾˈda/

inherited

English

remember

/ɹɪˈmɛmbɚ/

other source · Old French remembrer, from Latin REMEMORĀRĪ

English → Italianto rememberricordareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: record, cordial, courage.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

RECORDĀRĪ‘to call to mind (from COR, CORDIS 'heart')’

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

The story

Romans remembered with the heart: RE- + COR. French instead says a thing 'comes up' to you; English 'remember' is from a different Latin verb, REMEMORĀRĪ.

English relatives: record, cordial, courage

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In a sentence

  • esNo recuerdo su nombre.
  • frJe ne me souviens pas de son nom.
  • itNon ricordo il suo nome.
  • ptNão lembro o nome dele.
  • roNu-mi amintesc numele lui.
  • caNo recordo el seu nom.
  • enI don't remember his name.

The Latin family

COR, CORD-· heart

COR was a short neuter noun; French and Italian kept it (cœur, cuore), while Spanish replaced it with an augmentative *CORĀTIŌNE → corazón. The oblique stem CORD- lives on in learned words, and the Romans located memory in the heart: RECORDĀRĪ is 'to bring back to heart'. Catalan kept cor; Portuguese shares coração with Spanish; Romanian calls the heart inimă, from ANIMA 'breath, soul'.

  • CORheart

    frcœuritcuorecacor

  • *CORĀTIŌNEMbig heart (augmentative)

    escorazónptcoração

  • CORDIĀLEM (Medieval Latin)of the heart

    escordialfrcordialitcordialeptcordialrocordialcacordialencordial

  • RECORDĀRĪto call to mind

    esrecordaritricordareptrecordarcarecordarenrecord

  • CONCORDIAMagreement, 'hearts together'

    esconcordiafrconcordeitconcordiaptconcórdiaroconcordiecaconcòrdiaenconcord

  • COR + -ĀTICUM (Old French formation)heart-ness, spirit

    escorajefrcourageitcoraggioptcoragemrocurajcacoratgeencourage

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