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"university" in seven languages

Meaninguniversity

Spanish

universidad

/unibeɾsiˈdad/

fem.learned

French

université

/ynivɛʁsite/

fem.learned

Italian

università

/universiˈta/

fem.learned

plural: università

Portuguese

universidade

/univehsiˈdadʒi/

fem.learned

Romanian

universitate

/universiˈtate/

fem.learned

Catalan

universitat

/univərsiˈtat/

fem.learned

English

university

/junəˈvɝsəti/

from Latin/French · Old French université

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

The Latin ancestor

UNIVERSITĀTEM‘the whole; a corporation, guild’

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

The story

A medieval universitas was any guild — of masters and students, in this case. Learned words still follow the -TĀTEM map: -dad, -té, -tà (and English -ty).

English relatives: university, universe, universal

Sound laws at work

-TĀTEM: -dad, -té, -tà

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esMi hermano está en la universidad.
  • frMon frère est à l'université.
  • itMio fratello è all'università.
  • ptMeu irmão está na universidade.
  • roFratele meu e la universitate.
  • caEl meu germà és a la universitat.
  • enMy brother is at university.

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