The Romance Languages

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Comparisons among the languages

The following table lists a number of words of Latin origin, along with their inherited Romance cognates. Both the Late (Vulgar) Latin and the earlier Classical Latin variants are given in order to show the changes even within Latin itself.

The chart will examine the development of the Latin words for beautiful, sun, to be, to have, man, body, heart, father, to hope, moon, hour, night, to know, to want, sky, son, I, well, day, ten, year, fact, good, is, life, and.

Clsc. Latin	Late Latin	Spanish	Portuguese	French	Occitan	Catalan	Italian	Sardinian	Romanian
(pulcher)	bellu[m]*	bello	belo	beau	bèu	bel	bello	bellu	/ (1)
solis	sole[m]*	sol	sol	soleil	sol	sol	sole	sole	soare
esse	essere	/ (2)	/ (2)	être	èsser	ésser	essere	éssere	/ (2)
habere	habere	haber	haver	avoir	aver	haver	avere	áere	avea
homo	homine[m]	hombre	homem	homme	òme	home	uomo	omine	om
corpus	corpus	cuerpo	corpo	corps	corps	corps	corpo	korpus	corp
cor	core[m]	/ (3)	/ (3)	coeur	cor	cor	cuore	koru	/ (3)
pater	patre[m]	padre	pai	père	paire	pare	padre	pade	/(4)
sperare	sperare	esperar	esperar	espérer	esperar	esperar	sperare	isperare	spera
luna	luna[m]	luna	lua	lune	luna	lluna	luna	luna	lunã
hora	hora[m]	hora	hora	heure	hora	hora	ora	ora	orã
nox	nocte[m]	noche	noite, noute	nuit	nuòch	nit	notte	note	noapte
scire (5)	sapere	saber	saber	savoir	saver	saber	sapere	/(5)	/(5)
verre	volere	/(6)	/(6)	vouloir	voler	voler	volere	/(6)	vrea
caelum	celu[m]	cielo	céu	ciel	cel	cel	cielo	kelu	cer
filius	filiu[m]	hijo	filho	fils	filh	fill	figlio	fidzu	fiu
ego	ego	yo	eu	je	ieu	jo	io	jeo, dego	eu
bene	bene	bien	bem	bien	ben	bé	bene	bene	bine
dies	die[m]	día	dia	/(7)	/(7)	dia	/(7)	die	zi
decem	dece[m]	diez	dez	dix	dètz	deu	dieci	deke	zece
annus	annu[m]	año	ano	an	an	any	anno	annu	an
factum	factu[m]	hecho	feito	fait	fach	fet	fatto	fatu	fapt
bonus	bonu[m]	bueno	bom	bon	bon	bon	buono	bonu	bun
est	est	es	é	est	es	és	è	est	este
vita	vita[m]	vida	vida	vie	vida	vida	vita	bida	viat¸ã
et	et	y	e	et	e	i	e	e	/(8)

* The Late Latin word given may not differ from the form given in the Classical Latin column (the nominative solis always had an accusative solem), however, because the accusative is the origin of the Romance noun, it is supplied in the Late Latin column. Although the Classical Latin word meaning "beautiful" was pulcher, that term was eventually replaced by the late-developed bellus < *bonellus "beautiful little ___" (whose accusative was bellum or bellu). Final -m deletion and its reprocussions are discussed in the Vulgar Latin section.

(1) The Romanian word for "beautiful" is frumos, from Latin formo(n)sus "shapely".

(2) Although the conjugations of the Spanish and Portuguese "to be" are derived from esse, their infinitive ser is taken from the Latin verb sedere "to sit". The Romanian (a) fi is also inherited from Latin.

(3) The Spanish corazón and Portuguese coração come from L. coratione[m], the source of French and English courage. Romanian formed inimã "heart" from the Latin anima[m] "soul".

(4) Romanian has tatã through Slavic influence.

(5) Sardinian and Romanian take their verbs from the original Latin scire, giving Sard. iskire and Rom. (a) s¸ti. Sapere originally meant "to be wise".

(6) Spanish, Portuguese, and Sardinian all take quaerere "to inquire" as the verb meaning "to want", giving Sp. and Port. querer and Sard. kérrere.

(7) In French, Occitan, and Italian, the noun "day" has its roots in the adjective diurnu[m] "daily". This gave Fr. jour, Occ. jurn, and It. giorno.

(8) The Romanian word s¸i "and" is derived from Latin, but is not related to et.

Joshua Rudder, talktume@hotmail.com.