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"to threaten" in seven languages

Meaningto threaten

Spanish

amenazar

/amenaˈθaɾ/

inherited

From the noun amenaza (Old Spanish menaza), with an added a-.

French

menacer

/mənase/

inherited

Italian

minacciare

/minatˈtʃare/

inherited

Portuguese

ameaçar

/ameaˈsah/

inherited

Portuguese lost the intervocalic -n- of *MINĀCIĀRE.

Romanian

amenința

/ameninˈtsa/

inherited

Catalan

amenaçar

/əmənəˈsa/

inherited

English

threaten

/ˈθɹɛtən/

native English · Old English þrēatnian

English → Italianto threatenminacciareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: menace, menacing.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

*MINĀCIĀRE‘to threaten (from MINĀCIAE 'threats')’

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

The story

Latin MINAE were jutting points and, figuratively, threats; spoken Latin built *MINĀCIA and a verb on it. The ci went three ways: Spanish z [θ], French c [s], Italian cci [ttʃ].

English relatives: menace, menacing

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In a sentence

  • esAmenazaron con llamar a la policía.
  • frIls ont menacé d'appeler la police.
  • itHanno minacciato di chiamare la polizia.
  • ptAmeaçaram chamar a polícia.
  • roAu amenințat că sună la poliție.
  • caVan amenaçar de trucar a la policia.
  • enThey threatened to call the police.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words