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"wound, injury" in seven languages

Meaningwound, injury

Spanish

herida

/eˈɾida/

fem.inherited

French

blessure

/blesyʁ/

fem.other source · French blesser, from Frankish *blettjan 'to bruise'

Italian

ferita

/feˈrita/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

ferida

/feˈɾidɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

rană

/ˈranə/

fem.other source · Slavic rana 'wound'

Catalan

ferida

/fəˈɾidə/

fem.inherited

English

wound

/wund/

native English · Old English wund

English → Italianwound, injuryferitaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FERĪRE‘to strike’

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

The story

Spanish and Italian name the wound after the blow (FERĪRE 'to strike'), Spanish with its F → h (herida, ferita). French blessure is Germanic — and French blesser is a false friend: it means to wound, not to bless.

Sound laws at work

Spanish initial F- becomes h- (silent)

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esLa herida no es grave.
  • frLa blessure n'est pas grave.
  • itLa ferita non è grave.
  • ptA ferida não é grave.
  • roRana nu e gravă.
  • caLa ferida no és greu.
  • enThe wound is not serious.

More words from the same Latin

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