"wing" in seven languages
Meaningwing
Spanish
ala
/ˈala/
fem.inherited
el ala (fem.): stressed a- takes el
French
aile
/ɛl/
fem.inherited
Italian
ala
/ˈala/
fem.inherited
plural: ali
Portuguese
asa
/ˈazɐ/
fem.other source · Latin ANSAM 'handle'
ANSA 'handle' took over the bird's wing; the inherited ala survives as 'wing (of a building), row'.
Romanian
aripă
/ˈaripə/
fem.other source · of disputed origin
plural: aripi
Catalan
ala
/ˈalə/
fem.inherited
English
wing
/wɪŋ/
native English · Middle English, from Old Norse
English → ItalianwingalaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: aileron, aisle (via French).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
ĀLAM‘wing’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish and Italian kept ĀLA as it was; French turned the free a into ai [ɛ]. English aisle is the 'wing' of a church, via French aile.
English relatives: aileron, aisle (via French)
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl pájaro tiene un ala rota.
- frL'oiseau a une aile cassée.
- itL'uccello ha un'ala rotta.
- ptO pássaro está com uma asa quebrada.
- roPasărea are o aripă ruptă.
- caL'ocell té una ala trencada.
- enThe bird has a broken wing.