cognatas

Cognatas is a term used in linguistics, especially within Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking contexts, to refer to cognate words—terms in different languages that descend from a common ancestor. In this usage, cognatas describes the relationship between words across languages, emphasizing shared etymology rather than identical form or meaning.

Etymology and scope: Cognatas derives from cognato, the Spanish and Portuguese word for cognate, which in turn comes from Latin cognatus “born together” or “related.” In English, the equivalent term is cognate (plural cognates). The form cognatas is the feminine plural, used when describing feminine-noun pairs (for example, palabras cognatas). The concept applies across a wide range of Indo-European languages and beyond, reflecting historical language contact and common ancestry.

Examples: English and Spanish provide clear cognatas due to shared Latin or Greek roots. Examples include animal in English and animal in Spanish, both from Latin animal; center in English and centro in Spanish, both tracing to Latin centrum via French centre/centro; and family in English and familia in Spanish, from Latin familia. These relationships illustrate how cognatas can retain recognizable roots even as pronunciation and meaning diverge over time.

Distinctions and cautions: Not all superficially similar words are cognatas; false friends may arise when related words diverge in meaning or when similar forms develop independently. Determining cognatas requires tracing etymology through historical languages and sound changes, rather than relying on surface similarity alone.

See also: Cognate, Etymology, Language families, False friends.