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"to split (wood, stone)" in seven languages

Meaningto split (wood, stone)

Spanish

partir

/parˈtiɾ/

other source · Latin PARTĪRE 'to divide'

Hender, from FINDERE (with F- → h-), is literary; rajar is said of logs.

French

fendre

/fɑ̃dʁ/

inherited

Une fente is a slit or crack.

Italian

spaccare

/spakˈkare/

other source · probably Germanic (Langobardic)

Fendere, from FINDERE, is literary.

Portuguese

rachar

/haˈʃah/

other source · of uncertain origin

Romanian

despica

/despiˈka/

other source · of uncertain origin

Also crăpa: a crăpa lemne.

Catalan

partir

/pərˈti/

other source · Latin PARTĪRE 'to divide'

Fendre, from FINDERE, also exists.

English

split

/splɪt/

other source · Middle Dutch splitten

English → Italianto split (wood, stone)spaccareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: fissure, fission.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FINDERE‘to split, cleave’

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

The story

Only French still splits with FINDERE (fendre du bois); its heirs elsewhere went literary, and the sisters chop with whatever came to hand. English fission and fissure are the learned side of FINDERE.

English relatives: fissure, fission

Sound laws at work

French vowel + nasal becomes a nasal vowel

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In a sentence

  • esParte leña para la chimenea.
  • frIl fend du bois pour la cheminée.
  • itSpacca la legna per il camino.
  • ptEle racha lenha para a lareira.
  • roDespică lemne pentru șemineu.
  • caParteix llenya per a la llar de foc.
  • enHe splits wood for the fireplace.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words