False friend ES sounds like CS

camisa

ES [kaˈmisa] · sounds like Czech kamizolka

Czech ear hears kamizolka - a waistcoat / vest Actually camisa - a shirt

Spanish camisa is simply a shirt. When I first heard this word, I was clueless as to what it should mean, but after learning that it actually means a shirt, I’ve dug a little bit in my brain and found a connection after all - kamizolka - a waistcoat or a little vest, one typically worn by a huntsman - so the spidey sense was almost right, but not quite.

Why it happens

The same shape as divertido: as far as I can find, a real etymological link that misleads. The dictionaries I checked trace both to Latin camisia (“shirt”), the Czech apparently arriving via Italian camiciola and French camisole. Same ancestor, different garment today.

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