cognados

Cognados are words in two languages that descend from a common ancestral form, usually from Latin, Greek, or Proto-Indo-European. They typically resemble each other in form and meaning, though phonetic change and semantic drift can create differences over time.

Cognates are categorized as true cognates when their common origin is clear; false cognates, or false friends, look similar but differ in meaning or usage, often due to semantic shift or divergent development after borrowing.

Origins may be inherited vocabulary within a language family or parallel borrowings through contact with the same source language. Common pairs across English and Spanish include animal and animal, family and familia, color and color, nation and nación, and hospital and hospital. Other Romance-language cognates include author and autor, literature and literatura, and restaurant and restaurante.

Not all similar forms are cognates; some are borrowings from the same language but do not share a direct lineage, while others are false friends: for example, actual in Spanish means current or present, whereas in English actual means real; embarazada in Spanish means pregnant, not embarrassed.

Cognates play a central role in historical linguistics and language learning, helping researchers trace word histories and learners recognize familiar roots across languages. They also illustrate how languages influence each other through contact and shared ancestry.