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"weight" in seven languages

Meaningweight

Spanish

peso

/ˈpeso/

masc.inherited

Also the name of several Latin American currencies.

French

poids

/pwa/

masc.inherited

The silent d was added by scribes who wrongly linked it to Latin PONDUS 'weight'.

Italian

peso

/ˈpeso/

masc.inherited

Portuguese

peso

/ˈpezu/

masc.inherited

Romanian

greutate

/ɡreuˈtate/

fem.other source · greu 'heavy' (Latin GRAVEM) + -tate

Catalan

pes

/pɛs/

masc.inherited

English

weight

/weɪt/

native English · Old English wiht

English → ItalianweightpesoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: poise, pension, compensate, pensive.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PĒNSUM‘a portion weighed out (PENDERE 'to weigh')’

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

The story

Spoken Latin dropped the n before s (PĒNSUM → *pesu), so Spanish and Italian peso look identical; French went on to oi.

English relatives: poise, pension, compensate, pensive

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In a sentence

  • esLa maleta supera el límite de peso.
  • frLa valise dépasse la limite de poids.
  • itLa valigia supera il limite di peso.
  • ptA mala passou do limite de peso.
  • roValiza depășește limita de greutate.
  • caLa maleta supera el límit de pes.
  • enThe suitcase is over the weight limit.

The Latin family

PEND-, PENS-· hang, weigh

PENSĀRE 'to weigh' already lost its n in spoken Latin (NS → S, as in MĒNSA → mesa), giving the inherited pesar, peser, pesare 'to weigh'. The Church and the schools kept the full form for 'weighing things in the mind', and pensar, penser, pensare 'to think' are that learned branch. French even has a third doublet: panser 'to dress (a wound)', originally just a spelling of penser 'to take care of'. Portuguese and Catalan keep both doublets (pesar beside pensar). Romanian kept only the worn-down one, as păsa 'to matter' (nu-mi pasă 'I don't care'), and thinks with gândi, a Hungarian loan.

  • PENSĀREto weigh

    espesarfrpeseritpesareptpesarropăsacapesar

  • PENSĀREto weigh in the mind, think

    espensarfrpenseritpensareptpensarcapensar

  • PENSUMa weight (of wool)

    espesofrpoidsitpesoptpesocapesenpoise

  • PENSIŌNEMa payment (weighed out)

    espensiónfrpensionitpensioneptpensãoropensiecapensióenpension

  • COMPENSĀREto weigh one thing against another

    escompensarfrcompenseritcompensareptcompensarrocompensacacompensarencompensate

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