Familiar words in Latin — Classical languages, 4–6 years
Meet a few Latin words for things you can see and touch. Classical languages, 4–6 years.
Words give things a name
Latin was the language spoken by many people in ancient Rome. A Roman could point to water and say aqua, or point to a house and say domus; the word helped everyone notice the same thing.
Why have different words?
People in different places often use different sounds for the same thing. Latin grew because Roman families, workers and travellers needed a shared way to ask, tell and trade with one another.
Aqua, step by step
Look at a cup of water. First, name what you see: water. Next, say the Latin word aqua. Then use it in the tiny phrase aqua est, meaning “it is water”; the two words point to the same cup.
A familiar-looking word can trick you
It is reasonable to think aqua must sound exactly like the English word “water”, because both name the same thing. But languages choose their own sounds: aqua means water, although it does not sound like the English word.
Latin words still travel
You may hear Latin roots in names such as aquarium, a place connected with water. You can also find Latin words on old buildings, in plant names and in some signs, where they help people share a precise name.
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