2026-09-18 14:47 UTC
One plausible etymology is:
aqua > agua > egua > ewa > ewe > eawe > eaw > eau > o
So first the k sound changed to a g, then the initial a became an e, which lengthened to a diphthong, the final sound disappeared, the new final sound turned from a consonant into a vowel (like an oo) and the resulting triphthong reduced to a monophthong.
The elision of medial g is pretty surprising to me though.
Replies (1)
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@Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it 2026-09-18 14:57
Are you sure that the Q is supposed to be read like a K? It does not seem to be the case in other neo-latin languages such as Italian and IIRC Spanish Edit: i searched and it seems that the sound of Q could’ve been /kʷ/ which makes sense i am not a latin expert– i barelly know it in fact, btw