"tomato" in seven languages
Meaningtomato
Spanish
/toˈmate/
masc.borrowed · Nahuatl tomatl
French
/tɔmat/
fem.borrowed · Spanish tomate
Italian
/pomoˈdɔro/
masc.other source · pomo d'oro 'golden apple'
Plural pomodori (older pomidoro).
Portuguese
/toˈmatʃi/
masc.borrowed · Spanish tomate
Romanian
/ˈroʃie/
fem.other source · Romanian roșu 'red': 'the red one'
In Moldova and Transylvania also pătlăgea roșie or paradaică.
Catalan
/tuˈmakət/
masc.borrowed · Spanish tomate (the -quet ending is of disputed origin)
English
/təˈmeɪtoʊ/
from Latin/French · Spanish tomate
plural: tomatoes
The ancestor
Nahuatl tomatl‘tomato’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish brought the Aztec word home; French took it and made it feminine. The first tomatoes known in Italy were apparently yellow, hence 'golden apple'.
Learn it
In a sentence
- esUna ensalada de tomate.
- frUne salade de tomates.
- itUn'insalata di pomodori.
- ptUma salada de tomate.
- roO salată de roșii.
- caUna amanida de tomàquet.
- enA tomato salad.