Translation
violet (the flower)
Word origin
Borrowed from Italian viola and Latin viola, the plant name, which the Romans in turn seem to have taken from Greek ion. The English violet is the same word with a French diminutive ending stuck on the back of it.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- viola
- English cognates
- violet, viola
Examples
.
I found a small violet in the garden.
.
The violet is a small flower with a strong scent.
.
She gave me three violets from her garden.
Here is the seam to watch. Add two letters to and you have violono, the violin, and the two words sit within a whisker of each other on the page while meaning a flower and a musical instrument. Worse, the accusative of the flower, , is spelled exactly like the French word for violin. Nothing about the shapes will help you; you have to read the sentence. A grows, a is played.
They are not even distant relatives. is the Latin plant name; came through Italian violone from the same family as viola the instrument, which is a separate word again. Esperanto simply took both loans and let them land next to each other.
On the colour: occasionally does duty for the shade, but the standard words are violkolora (violet-coloured) and violkoloro. If you want the colour and not the plant, say so, or reach for purpura when the shade is deeper.
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violo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "violo" (violet (the flower)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 40.