"to spit" in seven languages
Meaningto spit
Spanish
/eskuˈpiɾ/
other source · of disputed origin (CONSPUERE has been proposed; Corominas doubts it)
French
/kʁaʃe/
other source · imitative (a spoken-Latin or Germanic *krakk-)
Italian
/spuˈtare/
inherited
From SPŪTĀRE, the frequentative of SPUERE.
Portuguese
/kusˈpih/
inherited
From CONSPUERE 'to spit on'.
Romanian
/skujˈpa/
inherited
Usually traced to a prefixed spoken-Latin *EXCONSPUERE.
Catalan
/əskuˈpi/
other source · of disputed origin, shared with Spanish escupir
English
/spɪt/
Indo-European kin · PIE *(s)pyeu-
Spew and spittle share the root.
The Latin ancestor
SPUERE‘to spit (with SPŪTĀRE and CONSPUERE 'to spit on')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin SPUERE sounds like what it means, and so does English spit, its Indo-European cousin. Italian kept SPŪTĀRE and Portuguese CONSPUERE (cuspir); French cracher imitates the hawk before the spit.
English relatives: sputum
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEscupir en el suelo es de mala educación.
- frC'est impoli de cracher par terre.
- itSputare per terra è maleducato.
- ptCuspir no chão é falta de educação.
- roE urât să scuipi pe jos.
- caEscopir a terra és de mal educat.
- enIt's rude to spit on the ground.