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"to suspect" in seven languages

Meaningto suspect

Spanish

sospechar

/sospeˈtʃaɾ/

inherited

French

soupçonner

/supsɔne/

other source · French soupçon, from Late Latin SUSPECTIŌNEM 'suspicion'

Italian

sospettare

/sospetˈtare/

inherited

Portuguese

suspeitar

/suspejˈtah/

inherited

Romanian

bănui

/bənuˈi/

other source · Hungarian bánni 'to mind, to regret'

Catalan

sospitar

/suspiˈta/

inherited

Latin -CT- became -it-, as in fet 'done' from FACTUM.

English

suspect

/səˈspɛkt/

from Latin/French · Latin SUSPECTUS, via French

English → Italianto suspectsospettareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SUSPECTĀRE‘to suspect (from SUSPICERE 'to look up at, to mistrust')’

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

The story

The CT of SUSPECTĀRE splits the usual way: Spanish ch (sospechar), Italian tt (sospettare). French built its verb on the noun soupçon, from a related Late Latin noun.

English relatives: suspect, suspicion, suspicious

Sound laws at work

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In a sentence

  • esSospecho que miente.
  • frJe le soupçonne de mentir.
  • itSospetto che stia mentendo.
  • ptSuspeito que ele está mentindo.
  • roBănuiesc că minte.
  • caSospito que menteix.
  • enI suspect he's lying.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words