"wide, broad" in seven languages
Meaningwide, broad
Spanish
/ˈantʃo/
other source · Latin AMPLUM 'ample, spacious'
French
/laʁʒ/
inherited
False friend: large is 'wide'; 'large' is grand.
Italian
/ˈlargo/
inherited
False friend for Spanish speakers: Italian largo is 'wide', lungo is 'long'.
Portuguese
/ˈlahgu/
inherited
False friend for Spanish speakers: largo is 'wide'; 'long' is longo or comprido.
Romanian
/lat/
other source · Latin LĀTUM 'broad'
Catalan
/ˈamplə/
other source · Latin AMPLUM 'ample, spacious'
English
/waɪd/
native English · Old English wīd
Watch out: false friends
largo (Spanish) means “long” · large (French) means “wide”
Same Latin LARGUM 'abundant'. French large is 'wide' (and English large 'big' came from it); Spanish largo is 'long'.
largo (Spanish) means “long” · largo (Italian) means “wide”
Both from Latin LARGUM 'abundant, generous'. Italian (with French large) turned 'ample' into 'wide'; Spanish into 'long', leaving 'wide' to ancho (AMPLUM).
The Latin ancestor
LARGUM‘abundant, generous’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
The mirror of 'long': LARGUS became 'wide' in French and Italian but 'long' in Spanish, which says 'wide' with ancho (AMPLUS, English ample).
English relatives: large, largesse (LARGUM); ample, amplify (AMPLUM)
Learn it
In a sentence
- esAquí el río es muy ancho.
- frIci, le fleuve est très large.
- itQui il fiume è molto largo.
- ptAqui o rio é muito largo.
- roRâul e foarte lat aici.
- caAquí el riu és molt ample.
- enThe river is very wide here.