Cognate facts for kids
A cognate is a word that comes from the same original word as another word. Think of them like word-siblings! They share a common ancestor. This can happen within one language or across different languages.
For example:
- In English, the words 'composite', 'composition', and 'compost' are cognates. They all come from the Latin word 'componere', which means 'to put together'.
- The English word 'composition' and the Spanish word 'composición' are also cognates. They both come from the same Latin root. You'll find similar words in French, Italian, and Portuguese too!
Generally, cognates have similar meanings and come from the same root word. A great example is the word for "night" in many languages that are related to each other:
- nuit (French)
- noche (Spanish)
- Nacht (German)
- nacht (Dutch)
- nag (Afrikaans)
- nicht (Scots)
- natt (Swedish, Norwegian)
- nat (Danish)
- nátt (Faroese)
- nótt (Icelandic)
- noc (Czech, Slovak, Polish)
- ночь, noch (Russian)
- ноќ, noć (Macedonian)
- нощ, nosht (Bulgarian)
- ніч, nich (Ukrainian)
- ноч, noch/noč (Belarusian)
- noč (Slovene)
- noć (Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian)
- νύξ, nyx (Ancient Greek)
- νύχτα/nychta (Modern Greek)
- nox/nocte (Latin)
- nakt- (Sanskrit)
- natë (Albanian)
- nos (Welsh)
- nueche (Asturian)
- noite (Portuguese, Galician)
- notte (Italian)
- nit (Catalan)
- nuèch/nuèit (Occitan)
- noapte (Romanian)
- nakts (Latvian)
- naktis (Lithuanian)
- Naach (Colognian)
All these words mean "night" and come from a very old word, nókʷts, which was spoken thousands of years ago! Many common English words are cognates, such as animal, attention, night, apparatus, experience, brother, invention, and metal.
What Does 'Cognate' Mean?
The word 'cognate' comes from the Latin word 'cognatus'. This Latin word means 'to be born with'. So, when words are cognates, it's like they were "born together" from the same original word.
What Are False Friends?
Sometimes, words in different languages sound or look very similar. Usually, this means they are cognates and have the same meaning. But sometimes, they don't! When similar-sounding words have different meanings, they are called "false friends." They can trick you!
Here are some examples:
- The Spanish word 'actual' and the English word 'actual' are cognates. They come from the same root. However, they are "false friends." Spanish 'actual' means "of the present moment" (like "current"), while English 'actual' means "real" or "true."
- The German word 'hell' and the Norwegian word 'hell' look and sound like the English word 'hell'. But they are not cognates, and they have very different meanings! In German, 'hell' means 'light' (as in bright). In Norwegian, 'hell' means 'luck'. In English, 'hell' means something else entirely.
What Are False Cognates?
False cognates are words that look or sound alike, making you think they are related, but they are not! They don't come from the same original root word. It's like two people who look similar but aren't actually related.
Here are some examples:
- In English, the word 'light' (meaning something that makes things visible) and the word 'light' (meaning not heavy) look the same. But they are not cognates! They come from different old words.
- The German word 'haben' and the English word 'have' both mean the same thing. They seem like they should be cognates, but they aren't. They come from different roots.
- The Japanese word 'okiru' (起きる) and the English word 'occur' also seem similar in meaning and sound. But they are not related in their origin.
- List of words having different meanings in British and American English: on English Wikipedia
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