Category: Spanish (español)

Adventures in Etymology – Tongues

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the words tongue and language.

Tongue

A tongue [tʌŋ] is a flexible muscular organ in the mouth that is used to move food around, for tasting and that is moved into various positions to modify the flow of air from the lungs in order to produce different sounds in speech. It can also refer to a language. Other meanings are available.

It comes from Middle English tong(e) / tung(e) (tongue, language, speech), from Old English tunge (a tongue, a language), from Proto-West Germanic *tungā (tongue, speech, language), from Proto-Germanic *tungǭ (tongue, speech, language), from PIE *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s (tongue) [source].

Words from the same roots include լեզու (lezu – tongue, language, speech, nation, people) in Armenian, liežuvis (tongue) in Lithuanian, jazyk (tongue, language) in Czech, tunga (tongue, language, speech) in Swedish, and Zunge (tongue) in German [source].

Words such as lingua in Italian, lengua in Spanish and langue in French, all of which mean tongue or language, also come from the same roots, via Old Latin dinguā (tongue, language, speech) and Proto-Italic *dn̥ɣwā (tongue) [source].

Words in Celtic languages, such as teanga (tongue, language) in Irish, tafod (tongue) in Welsh, and taves (tongue, language) in Cornish, share the same roots, via Proto-Celtic *tangʷāts (tongue) [source].

The English words language, linguist and lingual (related to the tongue) have the same PIE roots as well. Language comes from Middle English lang(u)age (language, tongue, speech), from Old French language (language), from Vulgar Latin *linguāticum (language, manner of speaking), from Latin lingua (tongue, speech, language), etc. The other words were borrowed directly from Latin [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Burning Torrents

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the burning roots of the word torrent.

torrent

Torrent [ˈtɒɹənt / ˈtoɹənt] as a noun can mean a violent flow (as of water, lava, etc), a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, or a large amount or stream of something.

As an adjective, torrent means rolling or rushing in a rapid stream, and as a verb it means to fall or flow in a torrent or to pour.

It comes from French torrent (a torrent), from Italian torrente (stream, creek, torrent), from Latin torrentem, from torrēns (scorching, burning, roasting), from torreō (to scorch, burn, parch, roast), from Proto-Italic *torzeō (to burn, scorch), from PIE *torséyeti (to make dry), from *ters- (dry) [source].

Words from the same roots include tir (land) in Welsh (and Cornish and Breton), tierra (earth, land, ground, soil) in Spanish, torr (dry, matter-of-fact, dull) in Swedish, turska (cod) in Finnish, and terrace, terrain, territory, thirst, toast, torrid in English [source].

Yorkshire Terrier

The terrier dog also gets its name from the same roots via Old French chien terrier (terrier dog) from chien (dog) and terrier (of earth), from Latin terra (dry land, ground, earth), ultimately from PIE *ters- (dry)[source].

The Mediterranean

The Mediterranean also gets part of its name from the same roots. It comes from Latin mediterrāneus (inland), from medius (middle),‎ terra (earth, land) and -āneus (adjectival suffix) source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Frequently Crowded

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the crowded roots of the word frequent.

The Shenzhen Eye of Gangxia North Station

Frequent [ˈfɹiː.kwənt] as an adjective can mean:

  • Done or occuring often – common, regular, recurring.
  • Occurring at short intervals – continual, steady.
  • Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent.

It used to mean full, crowded or thronged, or often or commonly reported, and as a verb to frequent [fɹɪˈkwɛnt] means to visit often.

It comes from Old French frequent (frequent, often), from Latin frequēns (crowded, filled with a multitude, frequent, repeated), from Proto-Italic *frekʷents, possibly from PIE *bʰrekʷ- (to condense, crowd together) [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include fréquent (frequent) in French, freqüent (frequent, often) in Catalan, frequente (frequent, common) in Portuguese, and frequency in English [source].

Words from the same PIE roots may include farcir (to stuff) in French, harter (to bore, tire, make fed up) in Spanish, hartzitu (to ferment) in Basque, and farce in English [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Omniglot News (29/03/26)

By Simon

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Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Liangmai (Lianglad), a Zemeic language spoken in Manipur and Nagaland in northeast India.
  • Besermyan (бесерман көл), a Permic language spoken in northern Udmurtia in the Russian Federation.
  • Mbe (M̀bè), a Southern Bantoid language spoken in southeastern Nigeria.
  • Yipma (Yɨ’ayagaala), a Trans-New Guinea language spoken in Morobe Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.

New constructed script: Pallawa Hasti, an alternative way to write Indonesian, Malay and other languages created by Reza Sumanda, and based on the Pallawa script.

Sample text in Malay in the Pallawa Hasti script

New numbers pages:

  • Northern Tepehuán (Ódami), an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in northern Mexico.
  • Nancowry (Mūöt), a Nicobarese language spoken in the Central Nicobar Islands, part of the Indian Union territory of the Anadaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • Waorani (Wao Terero), a language isolate spoken mainly in eastern Ecuador, and also in Peru.

New phrases page: Liangmai (Lianglad).

New family words page: Liangmai (Lianglad).

New Tower of Babel translation: Mbe (M̀bè).

This week on the Omniglot blog there’s a new post entitled Bread Vans, in which we investigate the Chinese word 面包车 (van, minibus – lit. ‘bread cart / vehicle’), and related words in Chinese and other languages, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Guyana.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Caijia (Menni), a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Guizhou province in southern China.

Omniglot blog - Adventures in the world of words and language - 20 years old

Incidentally, Thursday of this week (26th March) marks the 20th anniversary of the Omniglot blog. I started the blog on 26th March 2006 with three separate posts, a welcome to the blog post, a post about language and memory and a post about the Spanish word ringorrango, which means a flourish or frill. At first, I tried to post as often as possible, but soon settled to a couple of posts per week, which I’ve continued with ever since. There are currently 3,964 posts on the Omniglot blog (and 567 on the Radio Omniglot blog).

In celebration of the 20th anniversary / blogiversary of the Omniglot blog, this week’s Adventure in Etymology is all about Bloggery and other blog-related words.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Swallowing about words for to swallow and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Holding It Together

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology, we’re holding it together as we uncover the origins of the words content and content.

Contentment

As an adjective, content [kənˈtɛnt] means satisfied, pleased or contented, and as a noun, it can mean satisfaction, contentment or pleasure, or that which contents or satisfies. As a verb, to content means to give contentment or satisfaction to, to satisfy, or to make happy.

It comes from Middle English contenten [kɔnˈtɛntən] (to satisfy), from Old French contenter (to content, satisfy), from Latin contentus (contained, satisfied, enclosed), from contineō [kɔnˈtɪ.ne.oː] (to hold, keep, connect, contain), from con- (together) and teneō (to hold) [source].

A related word is content [ˈkɒn.tɛnt], which means that which is contained, subject matter, semantic information, or one or more creative works. This comes from the same roots as content, via Middle English content (things contained, contents), from Latin contentus etc [source].

Related words include contain, continent, continuous and countenance in English, contenir (to contain, hold) in French, contente (happy, content, satisfied) in Portuguese and continencia (continence, self-control) in Spanish [source].

Incidentally, the word contend [kənˈtɛnd] (to contest, dispute, quarrel) is not related to content or content even though it sounds similar. Instead, it comes from Middle English contenden (to engage in rivalry, compete), from Old French contendre, from Latin contendēre (to stretch out, strive after, contend), from con- (together) and tendere (to stretch) [source].

Related words include contention and contentious in English, contesa (quarrel, argument, dispute) in Italian, and cynnen (contention, discord) in Welsh [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Flowing Floods

By Simon

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What links the word flood with words for flow, river and high tide? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.

Flowing Floods

Meanings of flood [flʌd] include:

  • An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.
  • A large number or quantity of anything appearing more rapidly than can easily be dealt with (e.g. a flood of complaints).
  • The flowing in of the tide.

It comes from Middle English flod [floːd] (river, lake, ocean, flood), from Old English flōd / ᚠᛚᚩᛞᚢ [floːd] (flowing of the tide, river, stream, flood), from Proto-West Germanic *flōdu (river, flood), from Proto-Germanic *flōduz (river, flood), from PIE *plóh₃tus (overflow, deluge), from *pleh₃(w)- (to swim, to flow) [source].

Words from the same roots possibly include flow in English, flod [fluːd] (river, flood, high tide) in Swedish, vloeien [ˈvlui̯ə(n)] (to flow) in Dutch, плувам [ˈpɫuvɐm] (to swim, to float) in Bulgarian, and plauti [ˈpɫɐ̂ʊtʲɪ] (to wash, rinse) in Lithuanian [source].

In Old English, another word for river (and stream) was ēa [æɑː], which comes from Proto-West Germanic *ahu (river), from Proto-Germanic *ahwō (stream, river, water), from PIE *h₂ekʷeh₂ ([flowing] water) [source].

Words from the same roots include eddy and ewer in English, å [oː] (river, creek, big stream) in Swedish, ø [øˀ] (island) in Danish, á [auː] (river) in Icelandic, and agua [ˈa.ɣ̞wa] (water) in Spanish [source].

There was a lot of rain in the UK this week, and plenty of large puddles on the roads, but I didn’t see any major floods. I hope things were okay where you are.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Harmonious Reason

By Simon

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Are the words harmony and reason connected? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.

Singing in Pontio / Canu ym Mhontio

Meanings of harmony [ˈhɑː.mə.ni] include:

  • Agreement or accord.
  • A pleasing combination of elements, or arrangement of sounds.
  • Two or more notes played simultaneously to produce a chord.

It comes from Middle English armonie (harmonious sounds, song, music, harmony), from Old French (h)armonie (harmony, musical instrument), from Latin harmonia (harmony, music, peace), from Ancient Greek ἁρμονία (harmonía – joint, union, agreement, concord of sounds), from or related to ἁρμόζω (harmózō – I fit together), from PIE *h₂er- (to join, fit, fix together) [source].

Meanings of reason [ˈɹiː.zən] include:

  • A cause.
  • A motive for an action or a determination.
  • Rational thinking.

It comes from Middle English reso(u)n (reason), from Anglo-Norman raisun (logic, logical reasoning), from Latin ratiō (reason, calculation, procedure), from reor (to reckon, calculate, think), from Proto-Italic rēōr (to reckon, calculate, think), from PIE *h₂reh₁- (to think, reason, arrange), from *h₂er- (to join, fit, fix together) [source].

Other words from the same roots possibly include arachnid, art, ordinary, ornament, ratio and read in English, Rede (stream, current, flow) in German, araña (spider, chandelier) in Spanish, arment (herd of cattle or horses) in Catalan, гармония [ɡɐrˈmonʲɪjə] (harmony) in Russian [source].

One word for harmony (and melody) in Old English was swinsung, which came from swinsian (to sing) from Proto-West Germanic *swinisōn, from Proto-Germanic *swinisōną, from Proto-Germanic *swin- (to sound), from PIE *swenh₂- (to sound) [source].

Words from the same roots include assonance, sonata, sonnet, sound and swan in English, seinn (to play [an instrument], sing, warble, chatter) in Irish, honni (to claim, assert) in Welsh, and dzon (bell) in Polish [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Flowing Rhythms

By Simon

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What does the word rhythm have to do with flowing? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.

bodhran by the window

Meanings of rhythm [ˈɹɪð.m̩] include:

  • The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter.
  • A specifically defined pattern of such variation.
  • A flow, repetition or regularity

It comes from Latin rhythmus [ˈrʰytʰ.mʊs] (rhythm), from Ancient Greek ῥῠθμός [r̥ytʰ.mós] (vibration, rhythm, measure, order, form), from Proto-Hellenic *hrutʰmós, from PIE *sru-dʰ-mo-s from *srew- (to flow, stream) [source].

Words from the same roots include catarrh, stream, rheumatism and rhyme / rime in English, ρέω (réo – to flow, run) in Greek, ritmo (rhythm, pace) in Spanish, strøm ([electrical] current, flow, stream) in Danish, srūti (to flow, stream, run) in Lithuanian, and sruth (stream, current, flow) in Irish [source].

The word logorrhea (excessive talkativeness, the excessive use of words in writing; excessive and often uncontrollable speaking due to a mental disorder) also comes from the same roots. It’s made up of logo- (word speech) and -rrhea (flowing), and was possibly modelled on verbal diarrhea – diarrhea also comes from the same roots [source].

Part of the word maelstrom (a large and violent whirlpool, a chaotic or turbulent situation) is also related. It comes from Dutch maelstrom (whirlpool), ultimately from PIE *melh₂- (to crush, grind) and *srew- (to flow, stream) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Plain Planes

By Simon

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Are the words plain, plane and plan related? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.

Cheshire Plains

Plain [pleɪn] as an adjective can mean:

  • Simple, unaltered, ordinary, unsophisticated.
  • Obvious, evident.
  • Open, honest, candid.
  • Unattractive
  • Flat, level (rare, regional)

It comes from Middle English pleyn (clear, unambiguous), from Anglo-Norman pleyn (plain), from Old French plain (plain [flat area]), from Latin plānus (level, flat, even, intelligible, clear), from Proto-Italic *plānos, from PIE *pleh₂-no-s (flattened) from *pleh₂- (flat) [source].

As a noun, plain can mean:

  • An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse.
  • A broad, flat expanse in general, as of water.

This comes from the same roots as the adjective plain, but directly from Old French plain [source].

Words from the same roots include plane (flat surface), explain, plan, palm, piano, floor, flat and maybe plant and field in English, plan (map, plane, plan) in French, llano (even, flat, level, plain) in Spanish, flor (thin, transparent fabric) in Swedish, and llawr (floor, deck, stage, platform, cellar, ground) in Welsh [source].

The word clan (a group of people all descended from a common ancestor; a traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain) possibly comes from the same roots via Irish clann (children, clan) or Scottish Gaelic clann (children, clan, tribe), both of which are from Old Irish cland (children, family, plant), from Old Welsh plant (children), from Latin planta (shoot, offspring), from PIE *pleh₂- (flat).

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Strong Comfort

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we get comfortable and investigate the word comfort.

Comfortable Cat

As a noun, comfort [ˈkʌm.fət / ˈkʌm.fɚt] can mean:

  • Contentment, ease
  • Something that offers comfort
  • Something relieving suffering or worry
  • A cause of relief or satisfaction

As a verb, to comfort can mean:

  • To relieve the distress or suffering of
  • To provide comfort to
  • (obsolete) To make strong, to invigorate; to assist, help or aid

Comfort is also a surname and a female given name, and the name of places in Minnesota, North Carolina, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin in the USA [source].

It comes from Middle English comforten [kumˈfɔrtən] (to comfort), from Old French conforter (to reassure, comfort), from Latin cōnfortō (to make stronger, strengthen, give courage), from con- (with) and fortis (strong, powerful, resolute, brave) [source].

Words from the same roots include confortare (to comfort, console) in Italian, confortar (to comfort) in Portuguese, confort (comfort) and conforter (to strengthen, reinforce, confirm) in French, konfor (comfort) in Turkish (borrowed from French), and confort (cosiness) in Romanian (borrowed from French) [source].

The Spanish word confort also comes from the same roots. It means comfort or ease, and in the colloquial Spanish of Chile, it can refer to toilet paper – the name comes from a brand of toilet paper [source].

In Old English, one word for comfort or consolation was frōfor [ˈfroː.for], which became frovre / frother in Middle English, and survives in some English dialects as frover / frother (to comfort, solace) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.