Cognate Cognizance Podcast

This is April’s free post one week early because I need to take next week off — and no, this isn’t an early April Fool’s Day joke. I’ll return with a post for paying subscribers on April 8th, but I’ve made this post extra long for my paying subscribers’ benefit.

Let’s begin with the cognate duo.

vestural — an adjective meaning “of or relating to clothing or vesture”

vestural — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning.

I begin with that duo because they are spelled exactly the same, and I’m hoping the...

I dream of having a home library that is ample enough to hold all my books in one room or a wall like the one pictured that is more than ample enough.

ample — an adjective meaning that something is “more than adequate in size, scope, or capacity”

amplio/amplia — the masculine and feminine forms of the Spanish cognate of the same meaning

“Ample” is a great word that doesn’t get used as much in English as it does in Spanish, in my opinion. The cognates come from Latin’s amplus and the word has retaine...

Are you confused as to why there is a photo of a woman jousting on a post about the word “career?” If you are, then you’re about to learn something. If you’re not, then give yourself a pat on the back for already having some solid cognate cognizance.

The meaning of “job” or “profession” for “career” is not the original sense of the word, so let’s look at what those original senses are.

career — as a noun, “career” is a “course” or “passage” of something, the “speed” of something, a “charge” or “encounter” in a tournament, or...

I’d be remiss to allow this Monday that falls on the first day of January, 2024, to slip by without addressing a cognate duo that may be on many people’s minds today.

resolution — while this word has many meanings, the one I’ll focus on today is “something that is resolved or for which a firm decision has been made regarding it”

resolución — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning

These words hearken back to Latin’s resolutio which comes from resolvere which is the ancestor of our word “resolve” and Spanis...

Have you ever been accused of being a “Chatty Cathy?” (I’m showing my age by using that expression, I’m sure.) If so, you are probably a “prolix” person. Maybe a “Prolix Polly” or a “Verbose Veronica,” or a . . . oops, now I’m being “prolix.”

prolix — an adjective describing someone using excess words; something written or spoken that is too long and drawn out

prolijo — the Spanish masculine cognate of the same meaning

prolija — the Spanish feminine cognate

One of the many benefits I encountered while teaching a high school linguistics class fo...

(I apologize for the unavoidable car noises in the background of the recording. There’s no getting away from it right now because there’s a very busy avenue right outside my room here in Mexico.)

The Panama Canal runs through the narrowest part of the “isthmus” of Panama.

isthmus — a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land masses

istmo — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning

An “isthmus” can also be a “narrow anatomical part” that connects larger parts. Perhaps that makes you think of your “neck.” If so, good for you beca...

literature — I doubt this needs a definition, but essentially, it’s “the writings in prose or verse” of humankind

literatura — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning/s

Given my love of literature and the fact that I’m an author myself, I’m a bit embarrassed that I haven’t covered this cognate duo before, but better late than never as the old saying goes.

These words come from Latin’s littera which means “letter” as in letter of the alphabet. All “literature” comes from words, and when you go through the process of put...

foment — a verb meaning “to incite” or rouse or encourage or instigate

fomentar — the Spanish cognate of the same meanings.

“Foment” is a verb that nowadays usually carries a negative “fiery” connotation but it had a “warm” beginning. We tend to hear it now in media reports about people “fomenting rebellions” or other criminally charged events, but “foment” comes to us from Latin’s fovēre which means “to soothe” and “to heat.”

We originally used the word “foment” to tell someone to “foment” a sore muscle by applying moist “heat” to it. If you metaphorically apply heat to someone...

I hope you are fortunate to have the day off from work, but I know that some people still have to work, or do labor, on this day anyway. In honor of the day, though, let’s examine the word “labor” and its relatives.

labor — a noun that in its simplest definition means “work” (— this word can also be used as a verb, “to labor,” and as an adjective, “a labor leader”)

labor — concerning the noun version of the word, this is the Spanish cognate of the same meaning, even though they more frequently use the word...

While it’s not a “yellow wood” like the one in the famous Robert Frost poem, in the above photo there are two paths, so if you were this girl, which would you choose? There is a “decision” to be made before moving forward. She has to “decide.”

decide — a verb meaning “to make a final choice about something”

decidir — the Spanish cognate of the same meaning

decidere — the Italian cognate of the same meaning

I “decided” to include the Italian cognate this week because it’s the same as the Latin ancestor of all t...