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"ugly" in seven languages

Meaningugly

Spanish

feo

/ˈfeo/

inherited

French

laid

/lɛ/

other source · Frankish *laiþ 'hateful, loathsome'

Italian

brutto

/ˈbrutto/

other source · Latin BRŪTUM 'dull, irrational'

Also 'bad' in general: brutto tempo 'bad weather'.

Portuguese

feio

/ˈfeju/

inherited

Romanian

urât

/uˈrɨt/

other source · past participle of urî 'to hate', from Latin HORRĒRE 'to shudder at'

Catalan

lleig

/ʎetʃ/

other source · Frankish *laiþ 'hateful', as French laid

fem.: lletja

English

ugly

/ˈʌɡli/

native English · Old Norse uggligr 'dreadful'

English → ItalianuglybruttoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: brute, brutal (BRŪTUM); loath (a Germanic cognate of laid).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FOEDUM‘foul, hideous’

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

The story

Three unrelated words: Spanish kept Latin FOEDUS 'foul', French took a Frankish word related to English loath, and Italian turned 'brutish' into 'ugly'.

English relatives: brute, brutal (BRŪTUM); loath (a Germanic cognate of laid)

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In a sentence

  • esEse edificio es feo.
  • frCe bâtiment est laid.
  • itQuel palazzo è brutto.
  • ptEsse prédio é feio.
  • roClădirea aceea e urâtă.
  • caAquell edifici és lleig.
  • enThat building is ugly.

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