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"writer" in seven languages

Meaningwriter

Spanish

escritor

/eskɾiˈtoɾ/

masc.learned

fem.: escritora

French

écrivain

/ekʁivɛ̃/

masc.other source · spoken Latin *SCRĪBĀNEM (from SCRĪBA 'scribe')

fem.: écrivaine

Italian

scrittore

/skritˈtore/

masc.learned

fem.: scrittrice

Portuguese

escritor

/eskɾiˈtoh/

masc.learned

Romanian

scriitor

/skriiˈtor/

masc.other source · Romanian scrie 'to write' (Latin SCRĪBERE) + the agent suffix -tor

Catalan

escriptor

/əskɾipˈto/

masc.learned

English

writer

/ˈɹaɪtɚ/

native English · Old English wrītere

English → ItalianwriterscrittoreNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: script, scribe, describe, manuscript.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SCRĪPTŌREM‘writer, scribe (SCRĪBERE)’

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

The story

Every form shows the s+consonant rule: es-, é-, plain s-. French chose a 'scribe' word instead of SCRĪPTOR; its feminine écrivaine is now standard.

English relatives: script, scribe, describe, manuscript

Sound laws at work

S + consonant at the start of a wordItalian assimilates clusters

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esEs una escritora famosa.
  • frC'est une écrivaine célèbre.
  • itÈ una scrittrice famosa.
  • ptEla é uma escritora famosa.
  • roEste o scriitoare celebră.
  • caÉs una escriptora famosa.
  • enShe's a famous writer.

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