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"to suck (draw in with the mouth)" in seven languages

Meaningto suck (draw in with the mouth)

Spanish

chupar

/tʃuˈpaɾ/

other source · an imitative word (the sound of sucking)

French

sucer

/syse/

inherited

A spoken-Latin verb built on SŪCTUM.

Italian

succhiare

/sukˈkjare/

inherited

A spoken-Latin verb built on SŪCTUM, with a different suffix.

Portuguese

chupar

/ʃuˈpah/

other source · an imitative word (the sound of sucking)

Romanian

suge

/ˈsudʒe/

inherited

Straight from the verb SŪGERE itself.

Catalan

xuclar

/ʃuˈkla/

inherited

From spoken Latin *SŪCULĀRE, like Italian succhiare, with an expressive x-.

English

suck

/sʌk/

native English · Old English sūcan

English → Italianto suck (draw in with the mouth)succhiareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: suction.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SŪCTUM (participle of SŪGERE)‘sucked’

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

The story

French and Italian each built a new verb on SŪCTUM, the participle of SŪGERE: sucer, succhiare. Spanish chupar imitates the sound itself. English suction is the learned relative.

English relatives: suction

Sound laws at work

French fronts long U to [y]

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In a sentence

  • esEl bebé se chupa el dedo.
  • frLe bébé suce son pouce.
  • itIl bambino si succhia il pollice.
  • ptO bebê chupa o dedo.
  • roBebelușul își suge degetul.
  • caEl nadó es xucla el dit.
  • enThe baby sucks its thumb.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words