All Questions
13 questions
1
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1
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225
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Is “actual” both a false friend and a cognate?
English definition of “actual”:
existing in fact; typically as contrasted with what was intended, expected, or believed.
Spanish definition of “actual”:
current, present, contemporary
These are ...
- 19
2
votes
1
answer
198
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(Latin) spondeo > (Spanish) esposas?
I am looking for the exact history of the Spanish word esposas ("handcuffs") and its connection with the Latin word spondeo ("promise").
I read several times on the web the ...
- 2,017
0
votes
1
answer
140
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Latin jūs and sūcus, and the words in Romance languages
Why is French jus said to be from Latin jūs or iūs, while Spanish jugo is said to be from the Latin sūcus? I don't know if there's a link between sūcus and jūs, but jus and jugo look like they are ...
- 632
1
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1
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286
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Where did the word ending ar er ir in Spanish come fom?
When I was learning Spanish, I came across the fact that Spanish verbs have three classes: AR, ER, and IR. I notice that more of them have the AR verb ending.
The verb endings are the same in Latin, ...
- 1,559
4
votes
2
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945
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How does Metathesis work?
How does it happen? What motivated latin "parabola" to change into Spanish "palabra" and why does english "ask" is often changed to "aks"?
- 1,456
3
votes
2
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651
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Are the English words "essence" and "essential" related to the Spanish word "ser"?
I always think of the Spanish verb "ser" being related to "essence", which can be contrasted with the verb "estar", which is related to "state".
"Ser" is also a noun with various meanings including "...
- 14.8k
1
vote
0
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150
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Etymological development of forms of Spanish "seguir" from Latin "SEQVI" (*sequire)
I am seeking an explanation for the development of the forms of Spanish "seguir" from Latin "SEQVI" (Vulgar Latin: *sequire), especially the irregular forms.
Especially, why did the "e" become "i" in ...
- 661
2
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2
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2k
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Expressions derived from Italian mafia
I apologize in advance for the explicit words, the question is anyway purely linguistical. Feel free to censore the words if appropriate.
I have heard that the American slang expression "Do not break ...
- 261
3
votes
1
answer
608
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What explains the sound development from Latin -vi- to French -dg- ?
abridge (v.) [...] from Old French abregier "abridge, diminish, shorten,"
from Late Latin abbreviare "make short" (see abbreviate).
The sound development from Latin -vi- to French -dg- is ...
user5306
3
votes
2
answers
482
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What explains the differences between doublet verbs that differ by a prefix?
The differences in meanings of doublet verbs such as 3-6 below:
Are there any resources that investigate the big picture behind them?
I abhor to memorise, and prefer to understand, such differences. ...
user5306
11
votes
2
answers
756
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Before being borrowed by Europeans, was "hurricane" ever pronounced with an initial "f"?
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, Spanish works about the New World in the 1500s wrote the word we spell in modern English as "hurricane" alternatively as "huracan" or "furacan". A ...
- 455
2
votes
2
answers
1k
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The double ⟨l⟩ in Spanish
In Spanish, some words start with the double consonant graphemes ⟨ll⟩ - that have indeed the value of /ʎ/.
Is there any language that have a similar pattern (starting with double consonants)? What is ...
- 239
7
votes
4
answers
4k
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How did 'cocodrilo' originate from 'crocodile'?
The English word crocodile seems to originate from the Latin crocodīlus and Ancient Greek κροκόδιλος. Indeed it has ended up very similar in several modern languages: German (Krokodile), Russian (...
