# English synonyms with different roots (Germanic and Romance) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049 "2011-04-12T02:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/1 "2011-04-12T02:51:46Z")
Earlier today, I got into a discussion about the evolution of the English language. As many of you guys probably know, English is a Germanic language with a lot of words that have Latin roots, thanks to the Norman invasion of England way back when. We started thinking of words with Anglo-Saxon (or other Germanic language) roots that have synonyms with Latin roots. Here are the ones we’ve thought of so far: Heavenly and celestial Blue and azure Green and verdant Kin and family Understand and comprehend Godly and divine (That one’s kind of stretching it, but I think it’s close enough.) Can you guys think of more? Mods–I wasn’t sure whether to put this thread in IMHO or The Game Room. Feel free to move it, if you’d like. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/2 "2011-04-12T03:07:11Z")
beautiful and pulchritudinous ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/3 "2011-04-12T03:19:39Z")
Chicken and Poultry Pig and Pork Cow and Beef. Something about meat, where the food is Latin but the animal is not! ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/4 "2011-04-12T03:19:43Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > beautiful and pulchritudinous “Beautiful” has a Latin root, though. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/5 "2011-04-12T03:30:58Z")
There’s a near endless supply of these. For every Germanic/Old English word you can think of, you’re almost sure to find a Latinate cognate. [Anyhow, a small list here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Germanic_and_Latinate_equivalents_in_English). And there’s more. For example, I don’t see _speed_ and _celerity_ there. Or _angry_ and _irate_. Or _lucky_ and _fortunate_. Or _pretty_ and _attractive_. Etc. Generally, the word with the Germanic root is perceived as being less formal in diction than the Latinate synonym. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/6 "2011-04-12T03:34:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There’s a near endless supply of these. For every Germanic/Old English word you can think of, you’re almost sure to find a Latinate cognate. > > [Anyhow, a small list here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Germanic_and_Latinate_equivalents_in_English). > > And there’s more. For example, I don’t see _speed_ and _celerity_ there. Or _angry_ and _irate_. Or _lucky_ and _fortunate_. Or _pretty_ and _attractive_. Etc. > > Generally, the word with the Germanic root is perceived as being less formal in diction than the Latinate synonym. Oh, uh…yeah. I didn’t even think of checking Wikipedia. Duh. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/7 "2011-04-12T03:53:59Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > Oh, uh…yeah. I didn’t even think of checking Wikipedia. Duh. > > Thanks. As noted, it’s hardly a complete list. I’d just try to find a list of Old English/Germanic origin words and work from there finding Latinate synonyms. You will probably find at least one for almost all nouns, verbs, and adjectives. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/8 "2011-04-12T03:56:35Z")
eheu I should have known ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/9 "2011-04-12T06:58:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Generally, the word with the Germanic root is perceived as being less formal in diction than the Latinate synonym. And the reason for this is the aristocracy with Normandic roots spoke French and the peasants English. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/10 "2011-04-12T12:09:25Z")
I haven’t looked at the list, but I am going to try a few anyway. light, lamp bright, intelligent sight, vision height, stature fight, battle bight, bay swine, pork (“pig” is ooo, not clearly Germanic) green, verdant breakable, fragile hard, difficult seat, chair fiddle, violin drink, beverage shit, defecate fuck, fornicate dig, excavate halt, stop (surprise!) I could probably go on all day, but I’ll stop here. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/11 "2011-04-12T12:44:36Z")
and you can also sometimes find triplets: a word with an OE root, a synonym with a Norman French root, and a synonym with a Latin root. For instance: kingly / royal / regal. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/12 "2011-04-12T13:07:53Z")
movie / film ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/13 "2011-04-12T14:15:33Z")
Cease and desist Law and order Aid and abet Spouse and wife/husband ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/14 "2011-04-12T15:22:39Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > “Beautiful” has a Latin root, though. Good-lookin’ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/15 "2011-04-12T17:06:03Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Chicken and Poultry > > Pig and Pork > > Cow and Beef. > > Something about meat, where the food is Latin but the animal is not! > [@Floater](#): > > And the reason for this is the aristocracy with Normandic roots spoke French and the peasants English. See my Staff Report: [Why do we eat beef and pork rather than cow and pig?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2008/why-do-we-eat-beef-and-pork-rather-than-cow-and-pig) Also: calf/veal Sheep/mutton follow the same pattern in that sheep is Germanic while mutton is from Old French; however in this case mutton is of Celtic origin rather than Latin. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/16 "2011-04-12T17:42:56Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > And the reason for this is the aristocracy with Normandic roots spoke French and the peasants English. I would’ve guessed the reason for the perception (in contemporary English) is more that the Germanic words are usually the short ones, and the Latinate words are the multisyllabic ones in most cases. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/17 "2011-04-12T22:02:40Z")
“What hands are here? ha! they pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incarnadine, Making the green one red.” (_Macbeth_, 2:2) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/18 "2011-04-13T16:06:55Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > And the reason for this is the aristocracy with Normandic roots spoke French and the peasants English. Well, on a much simpler level it’s just that the most commonly used words for ordinary existence (_man, hand, go, speak_, etc.)–the words used most frequently–obviously have been around from the very start of the language as its basic lexicon. The people who later brought in things like Christianity of course are going to assign their words to things associated with church activities, religion, etc. Same thing with new types of governance, social organization, etc. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/19 "2011-04-13T22:44:25Z")
In addition to the animal/food division seen above, there also seems to be a noun/adjective thing going on here too, where the noun is Germanic but the associated adjective is Romance. e.g. (noun/adjective) Moon/Lunar (or, Selene from Greek) Earth/Terrestrial or Terran Heaven/Celestial (though we also can say Heavenly, we don’t commonly use Celeste or anything etymologically related as a noun, like you would see in a Romance language) Iron/Ferrous or Ferric Gold/Auric Tin/Stannic Lead/Plumb (“He’s plumb crazy!”) (“Hand me that plumb bob, plz kthx awsum”) Day/Diurnal Twilight/Crepuscular Night/Nocturnal Cat/Feline Dog/Canine Woman/Feminine Man/Masculine Child/Juvenile Teenager/Adolescent “Hey Joe, the iron content of these rocks is very high, isn’t it?” “Yeah, they’re the most ferrous rocks commonly found on the coast according to Cecil’s Guide to the Outdoors” Doesn’t Japanese do something similar where the noun is native Japanese (at least in pronunciation) while the adjective is from Chinese? ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2011, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049/20 "2011-04-14T09:12:54Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Well, on a much simpler level it’s just that the most commonly used words for ordinary existence (_man, hand, go, speak_, etc.)–the words used most frequently–obviously have been around from the very start of the language as its basic lexicon. The people who later brought in things like Christianity of course are going to assign their words to things associated with church activities, religion, etc. Same thing with new types of governance, social organization, etc. Not “obviously”, but “often” or “typically”. For example, there’s _sky_, and even _they_ and _take_, none of which are of English origin. And then there’s the mysterious _dog_… > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > In addition to the animal/food division seen above, there also seems to be a noun/adjective thing going on here too, where the noun is Germanic but the associated adjective is Romance. > > e.g. > > (noun/adjective) > > … > Cat/Feline Cat doesn’t really belong here, as it’s ultimately of Latin origin. > [@](#): > > Teenager/Adolescent The word “age” is of French origin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-synonyms-with-different-roots-germanic-and-romance/578049.md?page=2)