"without" in seven languages
Meaningwithout
Spanish
sin
/sin/
inherited
French
sans
/sɑ̃/
inherited
The final -s is an adverbial ending added in Old French.
Italian
senza
/ˈsɛntsa/
other source · probably Latin (IN) ABSENTIĀ 'in the absence (of)'
Portuguese
sem
/sẽj/
inherited
Romanian
fără
/ˈfərə/
other source · Latin FORĀS 'outside'
Catalan
sense
/ˈsɛnzə/
inherited
Old Catalan sens; the final -e is a later addition.
English
without
/wɪˈθaʊt/
native English · Old English wiþūtan
English → ItalianwithoutsenzaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: sinecure, sine qua non.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
SINE‘without’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A sinecure is a post 'without care' (sine cūrā). Italian probably went another way: senza is most likely ABSENTIA, 'in the absence of'.
English relatives: sinecure, sine qua non
Learn it
In a sentence
- esUn café sin azúcar.
- frUn café sans sucre.
- itUn caffè senza zucchero.
- ptUm café sem açúcar.
- roO cafea fără zahăr.
- caUn cafè sense sucre.
- enA coffee without sugar.