What term describes words that look similar and have the same origin in two languages?

What term describes words that look similar and have the same origin in two languages?

• A. Cognates
• B. Homographs
• C. Loanwords
• D. Etymology

Answer: (A)

Cognates are words in two languages that look alike and come from the same ancient source, so they usually have related meanings and similar spellings. This shared origin is what makes them recognizable across languages. For example, English "animal" and Spanish "animal" both derive from Latin and carry related meanings. Another example is English "doctor" and Spanish "doctor," which come from Latin and share a similar form and meaning. The other terms describe different ideas: homographs simply look the same but can have different meanings or pronunciations within a language; loanwords are borrowed from one language into another without necessarily sharing a common ancestor; and etymology is the study of word origins, not a type of word itself.

Cognates are words in two languages that look alike and come from the same ancient source, so they usually have related meanings and similar spellings. This shared origin is what makes them recognizable across languages. For example, English "animal" and Spanish "animal" both derive from Latin and carry related meanings. Another example is English "doctor" and Spanish "doctor," which come from Latin and share a similar form and meaning. The other terms describe different ideas: homographs simply look the same but can have different meanings or pronunciations within a language; loanwords are borrowed from one language into another without necessarily sharing a common ancestor; and etymology is the study of word origins, not a type of word itself.