Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'detect', derived from the Latin 'detectus' meaning 'uncovered', holds immense significance in various cultures and fields, including science, technology, and crime investigation. Its ability to uncover hidden truths and unveil the unseen makes it a crucial concept across languages and borders.
Detective stories have been a popular form of entertainment for centuries, transcending cultures and languages. From Sherlock Holmes to Hercule Poirot, these characters have left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness. Moreover, in the realm of science and technology, the word 'detect' is used to describe the process of discovering and identifying the presence of various elements, particles, or phenomena.
Given its importance, one might wonder how to say 'detect' in different languages. Here are a few examples: Spanish - 'detectar', French - 'détecter', German - 'erkennen', Chinese - '发现/檢測' (fāxiàn/jiǎncést), Japanese - '検知/発覚' (kenshiki/hakkaku), and Arabic - 'اكتشاف' (ikhtishāf).
Afrikaans | op te spoor | ||
"Op te spoor" is Afrikaans for "to detect," but in Dutch, the word "spoor" literally means "track" or "trail." | |||
Amharic | መለየት | ||
The word "መለየት" can also mean "to reveal" or "to disclose". | |||
Hausa | gano | ||
The word "gano" also means "understand" or "know" in Hausa. | |||
Igbo | chọpụta | ||
Igbo word "chọpụta" also means "to uncover" or "to reveal". | |||
Malagasy | mahita | ||
"Mahita' shares its root with 'mahy' meaning 'know' or 'understand', highlighting the cognitive aspect of discovery and recognition. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | pezani | ||
"Pezani" can also mean "to test" or "to examine" in Nyanja (Chichewa). | |||
Shona | detective | ||
In Shona, the word 'Detective' is also used as a name for a bird. | |||
Somali | ogaansho | ||
The term "ogaansho" originates from the Somali verb "og" meaning "to see" or "to observe." | |||
Sesotho | lemoha | ||
The word "lemoha" is derived from the root "lema," meaning "to see" or "to notice." | |||
Swahili | gundua | ||
The word "gundua" in Swahili can also mean "to perceive" or "to understand." | |||
Xhosa | fumanisa | ||
"Fumanisa" is a Xhosa verb derived from the noun "fumo" (smoke), referring to the act of detecting something based on its subtle signs or indications. | |||
Yoruba | ri | ||
Ri is a polyseme that also connotes "beware" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | thola | ||
The word "thola" is also used to mean "find".} | |||
Bambara | ka lásàa | ||
Ewe | de dzesi | ||
Kinyarwanda | gutahura | ||
Lingala | komona | ||
Luganda | okulaba | ||
Sepedi | lemoga | ||
Twi (Akan) | hunu | ||
Arabic | الكشف | ||
الكشف also means to uncover or expose something hidden. | |||
Hebrew | לזהות | ||
The word "לזהות" is derived from the Hebrew root "זה" (zeh), meaning "this" or "it". | |||
Pashto | کشف | ||
کشف (Kašf): Pashto word meaning 'detection' is originally borrowed from the Arabic word meaning 'disclosure' or 'exposure'. | |||
Arabic | الكشف | ||
الكشف also means to uncover or expose something hidden. |
Albanian | zbuloj | ||
The Albanian word "zbuloj" derives from the Proto-Albanian word "*zbolí" and cognates with other Illyrian languages such as Messapic "zpóa" (reveal) and Delmatian "zbulí" (reveal) | |||
Basque | detektatu | ||
The word "detektatu" in Basque is derived from the Latin word "detegere", meaning "to uncover" or "to reveal". | |||
Catalan | detectar | ||
"Detectar" shares the same etymological origin with "detector", deriving from the Latin word "detegere" meaning to uncover, reveal, or expose. | |||
Croatian | otkriti | ||
"Otkriti" also means "open" in Croatian. | |||
Danish | opdage | ||
The word "opdage" is derived from the Old Norse word "uppdagi," meaning "to discover". | |||
Dutch | detecteren | ||
The Dutch verb "detecteren" comes from the Latin word "detegere", which means "to uncover" or "to reveal". In Dutch, "detecteren" can also mean "to locate" or "to find". | |||
English | detect | ||
"To detect" comes from the Latin "de-" and "tegere", meaning "covering", hence un-cover | |||
French | détecter | ||
The French word "détecter" originates from the Latin word "detegere" meaning "to uncover" or "to make visible." | |||
Frisian | opspoare | ||
"Opspoare" is derived from the Old Frisian word "opspeuren," meaning "to track down" or "to investigate." | |||
Galician | detectar | ||
"Detectar" in Galician can also mean "to discover", "to find out", or "to notice for the first time" | |||
German | erkennen | ||
"Erkennen" originally meant to mark something with a characteristic sign; the modern meaning "to detect" has only been common since the 17th century. | |||
Icelandic | greina | ||
The word "greina" also means "branch". | |||
Irish | aimsiú | ||
The word "aimsiú" is derived from the Old Irish word "ad-feis", meaning "to observe" or "to perceive." | |||
Italian | rilevare | ||
"Rilevare" also means "to survey" or "to map" and comes from the Latin "relevare", to lift up, meaning to lighten a load or burden. | |||
Luxembourgish | detektéieren | ||
Etymology: from French détecter - Latin: detectus meaning discovered | |||
Maltese | tiskopri | ||
The word 'tiskopri' (detect) might come from the French 'de tec', 'tec de' (roof), or the Latin 'tectum' (house roof). | |||
Norwegian | oppdage | ||
Oppdage (detect) shares an etymological origin with 'open', as it literally means 'to open that which is hidden' | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | detectar | ||
The word "detectar" in Portuguese is derived from the Latin verb "detegere," meaning "to uncover or reveal." | |||
Scots Gaelic | lorg | ||
The verb "lorg" in Scots Gaelic can also mean "to search", "to examine", or "to look for". | |||
Spanish | detectar | ||
In Spanish, "detectar" also means to discover or find something hidden. | |||
Swedish | upptäcka, detektera | ||
The word comes from Latin "detegere," which means "to unveil or uncover." | |||
Welsh | canfod | ||
The word "canfod" can also mean "appearance" or "view" in Welsh and shares a root with the word "cafn", meaning "to get", "to obtain", or "to receive." |
Belarusian | выявіць | ||
The word "выявіць" can also mean "to discover" or "to make known" in Belarusian. | |||
Bosnian | otkriti | ||
The word 'otkriti' in Bosnian comes from the same root as 'cover' and can also mean to 'uncover', 'reveal', or 'disclose'. | |||
Bulgarian | откривам | ||
"Откривам" in Bulgarian translates to "detect" in English but is the etymon to words that carry meanings of "reveal", "find", "start", and "answer". | |||
Czech | detekovat | ||
Czech "detekovat" comes from Latin "detectus" (uncovered) and also means to discover or reveal in addition to its normal meaning to detect. | |||
Estonian | avastama | ||
The word "avastama" can also mean "to discover" or "to find out". | |||
Finnish | havaita | ||
The word "havaita" is related to the word "havaita", which means "to perceive" or "to notice". | |||
Hungarian | érzékeli | ||
The word "érzékeli" is derived from the Hungarian word "érzék" (meaning "sense"), and can also mean "to perceive" or "to feel". | |||
Latvian | atklāt | ||
Atklāt is also used in Latvian to mean "to discover" or "to uncover". | |||
Lithuanian | aptikti | ||
The word "aptikti" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*h₂ep-", meaning "to find, perceive" or "to notice". | |||
Macedonian | открие | ||
The verb "открие" can also mean "to discover" or "to invent" in Macedonian. | |||
Polish | wykryć | ||
The Polish word "wykryć" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *vykъryti, which also meant "to open" or "to uncover". | |||
Romanian | detecta | ||
"Detecta" is a Romanian noun and adjective that means "fault", "defect", or "deficit", derived from the Latin "detegere" meaning "to uncover" or "to discover." | |||
Russian | обнаруживать | ||
The word обнаруживать also means 'to identify' in Russian. | |||
Serbian | открити | ||
The word "открити" ('detect') in Serbian has roots in the Proto-Slavic word "otkriti", meaning "to uncover" or "to reveal". | |||
Slovak | zistiť | ||
**Etymology:** *zistiť* is derived from the Proto-Slavic form *iz-tisnǫti*, meaning "to press out, to extract". | |||
Slovenian | zaznati | ||
The verb "zaznati" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *zaznati, which also meant "to know" or "to understand." | |||
Ukrainian | виявити | ||
In the medical field, 'виявити' also means 'to reveal' or 'to make known' in Ukrainian. |
Bengali | সনাক্ত | ||
সনাক্ত is derived from the Sanskrit word 'san-jña', which means 'to know or recognize'. | |||
Gujarati | શોધો | ||
The Gujarati word "શોધો" is derived from the Sanskrit word "sūdha" meaning "to purify or refine". | |||
Hindi | पता लगाना | ||
The word "पता लगाना" is derived from the Sanskrit "पति" (lord, master) and "लक्ष्ण" (mark, sign), implying "to identify something by its distinctive marks." | |||
Kannada | ಪತ್ತೆ | ||
The word 'ಪತ್ತೆ' can also refer to a playing card or a deck of playing cards in Kannada. | |||
Malayalam | കണ്ടെത്തുക | ||
The Malayalam word 'കണ്ടെത്തുക' also means to 'find out' or 'discover', similar to its usage in English as 'detect'. | |||
Marathi | शोधा | ||
The Marathi word "शोधा" (detect) is derived from the Sanskrit word "शोधन" (investigation, search, inquiry). | |||
Nepali | पत्ता लगाउनुहोस् | ||
पत्ता लगाउनुहोस् is also used to describe the act of "finding out" or "uncovering" something that was previously hidden or unknown. | |||
Punjabi | ਖੋਜੋ | ||
"ਖੋਜੋ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kṣuj", meaning "to grind" or "to crush". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හඳුනාගන්න | ||
Tamil | கண்டறிதல் | ||
In Tamil, "கண்டறிதல்" can also mean "to find out" or "to discover". | |||
Telugu | గుర్తించడం | ||
Urdu | پتہ لگائیں | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 检测 | ||
检测, 意指‘用仪表检查’或称之为‘检验’, 也指‘测验’, 例: ‘教师对学生上课知识进行检测’ | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 檢測 | ||
檢測來自於『檢校』,所以除了有檢查、查驗的意思外,也有校正之意。 | |||
Japanese | 検出する | ||
The word 検出する also means "to check" or "to inspect". | |||
Korean | 감지하다 | ||
"감지하다" is derived from the Chinese characters 感 (to feel, to sense) and 知 (to know), suggesting the process of perceiving or registering something. | |||
Mongolian | илрүүлэх | ||
The word "илрүүлэх" can also mean "to discern", "to perceive", or "to realize". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ရှာဖွေတွေ့ရှိ | ||
Indonesian | mendeteksi | ||
"Mendeteksi" is derived from the Dutch word "detecteren" which comes from French "detecter" (from Latin "detegere": uncover, reveal). | |||
Javanese | ndeteksi | ||
The Javanese word "ndeteksi" also means "to perceive" or "to notice". | |||
Khmer | រកឃើញ | ||
"រកឃើញ" can also mean "to find" or "to discover" something. | |||
Lao | ກວດພົບ | ||
Malay | mengesan | ||
The word "mengesan" can also mean "to examine" or "to investigate". | |||
Thai | ตรวจจับ | ||
The word 'ตรวจจับ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'tarkṣ', meaning 'to guess' or 'to examine'. | |||
Vietnamese | phát hiện | ||
"Phát hiện" is derived from Chinese 發現 (fā xiàn), which also means "discovery". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tuklasin | ||
Azerbaijani | aşkarlamaq | ||
"Aşkarlamaq" in Azerbaijani means "to reveal, to bring to light". It derives from the Persian word "âşkâr" which means "open, conspicuous, manifest". | |||
Kazakh | анықтау | ||
The Kazakh word "анықтау" originated from the Persian word "ānikhtan", which means "to find out" or "to determine". | |||
Kyrgyz | аныктоо | ||
The Kyrgyz word "аныктоо" also means "to determine" or "to define". | |||
Tajik | ошкор кардан | ||
The word "ошкор кардан" can also mean "to find out", "to discover", or "to identify" in Tajik. | |||
Turkmen | anyklaň | ||
Uzbek | aniqlash | ||
"Aniqlash" originates from the Persian word "aniq" meaning "certain" or "precise". It also has the alternate meaning of "to ascertain" in Uzbek. | |||
Uyghur | بايقاش | ||
Hawaiian | ʻike | ||
ʻIke, meaning “to detect,” is cognate with the Māori word “kite” meaning "to observe or see." | |||
Maori | kitea | ||
The Maori word "kitea" also means "to see" or "to notice". | |||
Samoan | iloa | ||
Ilo can also mean to reveal or disclose something | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | matukoy | ||
"Matukoy" can also mean "to recognize" or "to perceive". |
Aymara | katjaña | ||
Guarani | kuaa | ||
Esperanto | detekti | ||
The Esperanto word "detekti" derives from the English "detect", indicating its connection to the act of discovering something hidden. | |||
Latin | deprehendere | ||
The Latin word "deprehendere" originally meant to "catch hold of" or "seize" and was later extended to mean "detect". |
Greek | ανιχνεύουν | ||
The word "ανιχνεύουν" is derived from the Greek word "ανιχνεύω" (anichneúō), which means "to track, to trace, to pursue, to follow after", and is related to the word "ίχνος" (íchnos), which means "track, footprint, trace, mark". | |||
Hmong | kuaj saib | ||
The Hmong word "kuaj saib" (detect) originally meant "to see through" or "to look into". | |||
Kurdish | kişfkirin | ||
"Kişfkirin" means "detect" and is formed from two words: "kişf", meaning "discovery", and "kirin", meaning "make" or "do". | |||
Turkish | tespit etmek | ||
Tespit etmek, Latince 'testis' (tanık) kelimesinden türemiştir ve anlamı 'tanık olmak', 'gözlemlemek'tir. | |||
Xhosa | fumanisa | ||
"Fumanisa" is a Xhosa verb derived from the noun "fumo" (smoke), referring to the act of detecting something based on its subtle signs or indications. | |||
Yiddish | דעטעקטירן | ||
The Yiddish word "דעטעקטירן" is derived from the English word "detect". Its alternate meanings include "to discover" or "to uncover" something. | |||
Zulu | thola | ||
The word "thola" is also used to mean "find".} | |||
Assamese | চিনাক্ত কৰা | ||
Aymara | katjaña | ||
Bhojpuri | पता लगावल | ||
Dhivehi | ފާހަގަވުން | ||
Dogri | पता लाना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | tuklasin | ||
Guarani | kuaa | ||
Ilocano | maamiris | ||
Krio | notis | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | تێبینی کردن | ||
Maithili | पता लगाब | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯪꯗꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | manchhuak | ||
Oromo | bira ga'uu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଚିହ୍ନଟ କର | | ||
Quechua | tariy | ||
Sanskrit | चिह्न् | ||
Tatar | ачыклау | ||
Tigrinya | ምምርማር | ||
Tsonga | kumisisa | ||