"trunk (of a tree)" in seven languages
Meaningtrunk (of a tree)
Spanish
tronco
/ˈtɾonko/
masc.inherited
Also the human torso; a car trunk is a maletero.
French
tronc
/tʁɔ̃/
masc.inherited
Also a church collection box.
Italian
tronco
/ˈtronko/
masc.inherited
Portuguese
tronco
/ˈtɾõku/
masc.inherited
Romanian
trunchi
/trunkʲ/
neut.inherited
plural: trunchiuri
Catalan
tronc
/tɾoŋ/
masc.inherited
The final c is silent after n.
English
trunk
/tɹʌŋk/
from Latin/French · Old French tronc
The elephant's trunk and the car's are the same word.
English → Italiantrunk (of a tree)troncoCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
TRUNCUM‘trunk; (adjective) lopped, maimed’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
TRUNCUS first meant 'lopped off': a trunk is what is left when the branches are cut. English truncate keeps the old sense.
English relatives: trunk, truncate
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl tronco de este árbol mide dos metros de diámetro.
- frLe tronc de cet arbre fait deux mètres de diamètre.
- itIl tronco di quest'albero ha un diametro di due metri.
- ptO tronco desta árvore tem dois metros de diâmetro.
- roTrunchiul acestui copac are doi metri în diametru.
- caEl tronc d'aquest arbre fa dos metres de diàmetre.
- enThe trunk of this tree is two metres across.