Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'dismiss' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, often used to signify the end of something or the rejection of an idea. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, film, and everyday conversations, where it can represent a turning point or a decisive moment. Understanding its translation in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures convey this concept.
For instance, in Spanish, 'dismiss' translates to 'despedir', which also means 'to say goodbye'. In German, it's 'entlassen', which can also mean 'to graduate'. In Russian, 'отправлять назад' captures the essence of sending something back or away. These translations not only reflect the linguistic diversity of different cultures but also highlight the subtle nuances in how we perceive and express the idea of 'dismiss'.
Exploring the word 'dismiss' in various languages can be a fascinating journey, opening up new perspectives on cultural norms and communication styles. So, let's delve into the translations of 'dismiss' in over 30 languages, from Afrikaans to Zulu, and discover the richness of our global linguistic heritage.
Afrikaans | ontslaan | ||
"Ontslaan" comes from Middle Dutch "ontslaen", meaning to release, let go, or set free. | |||
Amharic | ማሰናበት | ||
"ማሰናበት" in Amharic can also mean "despise", "debase", or "treat with contempt". | |||
Hausa | sallama | ||
The Hausa word "sallama" can also mean "to release" or "to let go". | |||
Igbo | ikposa | ||
The Igbo word "ikposa" can also mean "to separate" or "to put an end to something." | |||
Malagasy | handroaka | ||
In Sakalava, « handroaka » is also a small hut on the beach where people can sit to chat, while in Bara it is a dance that involves stepping on the ground and shaking the hips. | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chotsa | ||
"Chotsa" also means "to finish" in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | kudzinga | ||
The word "kudzinga" is derived from the verb "kudingira" (to send), and can also mean "to leave" or "to depart". | |||
Somali | ceyrin | ||
The Somali word "ceyrin" is derived from the Arabic word "sayr" meaning "to walk" or "to move". | |||
Sesotho | qhala | ||
The word "qhala" in Sesotho can also mean "to refuse" or "to reject". | |||
Swahili | kufukuza | ||
The word 'kufukuza' in Swahili may also refer to 'to send (an object) flying through the air' or 'to drive out or away'. | |||
Xhosa | ukugxotha | ||
The word "ukugxotha" can also mean "to drive away" or "to chase away". | |||
Yoruba | danu | ||
The word "danu" also means "to send away" or "to divorce" in Yoruba. | |||
Zulu | khipha | ||
Derived from the word 'khuphula', meaning to remove or set aside. | |||
Bambara | ka gɛn | ||
Ewe | ɖe asi le eŋu | ||
Kinyarwanda | kwirukana | ||
Lingala | kolongola | ||
Luganda | okusiibula | ||
Sepedi | raka | ||
Twi (Akan) | po | ||
Arabic | رفض | ||
In Arabic, the word “رفض” has an alternative meaning of “to refuse” or “to decline”. It can also be used as a noun meaning “rejection” or “denial”. | |||
Hebrew | לשחרר | ||
The word 'לשחרר' ('dismiss') in Hebrew is related to the ancient Semitic word for dawn ('שחר'), symbolizing freedom from darkness. | |||
Pashto | ګوښه کول | ||
The word "ګوښه کول" can also mean "to put aside" or "to set aside" in Pashto. | |||
Arabic | رفض | ||
In Arabic, the word “رفض” has an alternative meaning of “to refuse” or “to decline”. It can also be used as a noun meaning “rejection” or “denial”. |
Albanian | shkarkoj | ||
In Tosk Albanian, 'shkarkoj' additionally means 'to remove' or 'to get down from a vehicle'. | |||
Basque | baztertu | ||
The word "baztertu" also means "to separate" or "to divide". | |||
Catalan | acomiadar | ||
The word "acomiadar" can also mean "accompanying" in Spanish and "farewell" in Portuguese. | |||
Croatian | odbaciti | ||
"Odbaciti" comes from "od-baviti", an Old Slavic root meaning "to avoid". | |||
Danish | afskedige | ||
The word 'afskedige' derives from the Old Danish word 'afskæde', meaning 'to part company'. | |||
Dutch | ontslaan | ||
The Dutch word 'ontslaan' comes from the Middle Dutch word 'ontslaen', which meant 'to let loose' or 'to release'. | |||
English | dismiss | ||
The word 'dismiss' derives from the Latin 'dimittere', meaning 'to let go' or 'send away'. | |||
French | rejeter | ||
In Latin, "rejeter" means "to throw back" or "to expel", from the prefix "re-" (back) and "jacere" (to throw). | |||
Frisian | ûntslaan | ||
The word "ûntslaan" likely originated with the idea of freeing oneself from chains or bonds. | |||
Galician | despedir | ||
In Galician, "despedir" can also mean "to fire" or "to send off". | |||
German | entlassen | ||
Entlassen comes from the Middle High German 'erlāʒen' meaning 'to allow to go'. | |||
Icelandic | segja upp | ||
The word 'segja upp' is a compound of 'segja' ('to say') and 'upp' ('to get up'), and can also mean 'to recite', 'to resign', 'to terminate a contract', and 'to break up' in Icelandic. | |||
Irish | dífhostú | ||
Dífhostú is also one of the names of the Irish goddess Brigid. | |||
Italian | respingere | ||
The word "respingere" also means "to push back" or "to repel" in Italian, reflecting its original meaning of "to push back something with force or effort". | |||
Luxembourgish | entloossen | ||
The verb "entloossen" is derived from the Old French verb "enloser" meaning "to set loose, release, free". | |||
Maltese | tkeċċi | ||
The word 'tkeċċi' is derived from the Arabic word 'qada' which means 'to judge or decide' | |||
Norwegian | avskjedige | ||
The word "avskjedige" comes from the Old Norse word "afsked", meaning "leave-taking" or "farewell". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dispensar | ||
The word "dispensar" in Portuguese can also mean "to give out", "to distribute", or "to exempt". | |||
Scots Gaelic | cur às | ||
Cur às is also an archaic form of ‘put out’. | |||
Spanish | descartar | ||
The word "descartar" derives from the Italian "scartare," and in English can also mean "to discard". | |||
Swedish | avfärda | ||
The word "avfärda" literally means "to drive away" in Swedish. | |||
Welsh | diswyddo | ||
The word "diswyddo" in Welsh, meaning "dismiss," is derived from the verb "swydd," meaning "to hold an office or position." |
Belarusian | звольніць | ||
The verb "звольніць" can also mean "to become free" or "to finish something". | |||
Bosnian | otpustiti | ||
"Otpustiti" can also mean to forgive in Serbo-Croatian and other Slavic languages. | |||
Bulgarian | уволни | ||
"Уволни" means "to dismiss" and is likely derived from the Old Slavic word "volja" meaning "will" or "desire". It can also mean "to free" or "to let go." | |||
Czech | zavrhnout | ||
The word "zavrhnout" originates from the Old Church Slavonic "zavrъšiti" meaning "to terminate". | |||
Estonian | vabaks laskma | ||
The verb "vabaks laskma" can also mean "to grant amnesty". | |||
Finnish | irtisanoa | ||
Irtisanoa, in addition to meaning "to dismiss," can also refer to a termination notice or resignation. | |||
Hungarian | elbocsátani | ||
"Elbocsátani" is a composite word, consisting of "el" (away), "bocsát" (send), and "ani" (causative suffix), so it literally means "to cause to send away". | |||
Latvian | atlaist | ||
The word "atlaist" can also mean "to skip" or "to avoid" in Latvian. | |||
Lithuanian | atleisti | ||
The word "atleisti" is derived from the Lithuanian word "leisti", meaning "to let go" or "to allow" | |||
Macedonian | отпушти | ||
The word "отпушти" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *otъpustiti, meaning "to let go". | |||
Polish | oddalić | ||
The word oddalić can refer to dismissal from work as well as geographical distance, meaning to move or put something further or away. | |||
Romanian | renunța | ||
The Romanian word "renunța" is derived from the Latin verb "renuntiare", meaning "to report" or "to make known". | |||
Russian | уволить | ||
The Russian verb "уволить" can also mean "to release", "to free", or "to let go". | |||
Serbian | отпустити | ||
In Church Slavonic, the word "отпустити" also means "to absolve sins". | |||
Slovak | prepustiť | ||
"Prepustiť" comes from Old Slavic "prьpustiti," which meant "to allow, let in". | |||
Slovenian | odpustiti | ||
Odpustiti, derived from pustiti 'to let', can also mean 'to forgive' or 'to let go' (as in emotions). | |||
Ukrainian | звільнити | ||
"Звільнити" comes from the word "воля" meaning "freedom," and also has the connotation of "liberating" or "releasing." |
Bengali | বরখাস্ত করা | ||
"বরখাস্ত করা" (dismiss) is derived from Arabic 'bar-khwast' which means 'petition for discharge. "বরখাস্ত" is also another word for "retirement" in an official context. | |||
Gujarati | બરતરફ | ||
The word "બરતરફ" is derived from the Persian word "bar taraf" which means "to put aside" or "to dismiss". | |||
Hindi | खारिज | ||
The word खारिज can also mean | |||
Kannada | ವಜಾಗೊಳಿಸಿ | ||
'ವಜಾಗೊಳಿಸಿ' is loosely derived from the word 'ವಜ್ರ' meaning diamond, which is the hardest known mineral, reflecting the final and unyielding nature of the action. | |||
Malayalam | നിരസിക്കുക | ||
The Malayalam word 'നിരസിക്കുക' shares a similar root ('as') with the Sanskrit word 'अस्' and the English word 'abstain', both meaning 'to keep oneself away' or 'to reject'. | |||
Marathi | काढून टाकणे | ||
The word 'काढून टाकणे' can also mean to 'remove' or 'delete' in Marathi. | |||
Nepali | खारेज गर्नुहोस् | ||
The Nepali word “खारेज गर्नुहोस्” comes from the Hindustani word “ख़ारिज करना,” which itself is derived from the Arabic word “ख़ारिज,” meaning “to go out, to depart.” | |||
Punjabi | ਖਾਰਜ | ||
"ਖਾਰਜ" likely entered Punjabi from Persian "kārj", where it meant "business, affair, occupation" and "kārj dāśtan" meant "to attend to business, to be doing". | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සේවයෙන් පහ කරන්න | ||
Tamil | தள்ளுபடி | ||
The word 'தள்ளுபடி' (dismiss) in Tamil also means 'to forgive' or 'to cancel something out'. | |||
Telugu | రద్దుచేసే | ||
The word "రద్దుచేసే" comes from the Sanskrit root "दृश्" (dṛś) meaning "to see" and the prefix "अ" (a) meaning "not". | |||
Urdu | خارج کردیں | ||
In Urdu, "خارج کردیں" can mean "to remove from office or position" or "to prohibit or expel." |
Chinese (Simplified) | 解雇 | ||
解雇 is a compound of "解" (undo) and "雇" (hire), and also means "unhire". | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 解僱 | ||
The character "解" means "to loosen or release," while "僱" means "to hire" or "to employ." | |||
Japanese | 退出させる | ||
The verb "退出させる" is derived from the noun "退出", which refers to leaving a place or a situation. | |||
Korean | 버리다 | ||
"버리다" is also used as a slang word referring to leaving someone hanging or breaking up with them suddenly without a clear reason, often done by sending a short text message, ghosting, or ignoring calls. | |||
Mongolian | халах | ||
In Kazakh, the cognate "халау" means "to get rid of one's spouse". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပယ်ချ | ||
Indonesian | memberhentikan | ||
In Malay, 'hentikan' means 'stop', while 'berhenti' means 'to cease', suggesting that 'memberhentikan' implies a forceful or imposed cessation. | |||
Javanese | ngilangi | ||
The word ngilangi also means to 'avoid' and 'escape'. | |||
Khmer | បណ្តេញចេញ | ||
"បណ្តេញចេញ" can also be used to refer to the process of removing someone from a position, such as firing an employee. | |||
Lao | ໄລ່ອອກ | ||
The Lao word ໄລ່ອອກ is cognate with the Thai word ไล่ออก and both derive from the Khmer word ល័កអក which also means "to dismiss". | |||
Malay | mengetepikan | ||
'Mengetepikan' is derived from 'tepi' ('edge') and 'kan' (locative suffix), which translates to 'move to the edge' or 'leave aside'. | |||
Thai | ปิด | ||
The word "ปิด" can also mean "to shut" or "to close", and is related to the word "ปิดบัง" which means "to conceal" or "to hide". | |||
Vietnamese | bỏ qua | ||
The word "bỏ qua" can also mean "to neglect" or "to ignore". | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | balewalain | ||
Azerbaijani | işdən azad etmək | ||
The Azerbaijani word "işdən azad etmək" is derived from the Persian word "âzâd kardan", meaning "to free" or "to release". | |||
Kazakh | босату | ||
The word "босату" can also mean "to let go of" or "to send away". | |||
Kyrgyz | бошотуу | ||
Kyrgyz "бошотуу" comes from "бош" (empty) and denotes a process of making something empty. | |||
Tajik | озод кардан | ||
The Tajik word "озод кардан" can also mean "to liberate" or "to free". | |||
Turkmen | işden aýyrmak | ||
Uzbek | ishdan bo'shatish | ||
According to the explanatory dictionary of the Uzbek language, the word "ishdan bo'shatish" (dismiss) comes from the word "bozish" (destruction). | |||
Uyghur | ئىشتىن بوشىتىش | ||
Hawaiian | hoʻolalau | ||
Hoʻolalau is an alternate form of hoʻōlālau, which specifically refers to dismissing an assembly or gathering. | |||
Maori | whakataka | ||
Whakataka can also mean to put away, cast out, or abandon, and is related to the word taka which means to fall. | |||
Samoan | faʻateʻa | ||
"Faʻateʻa" also means "to set free; to release" and "to give up; to abandon" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | ibasura | ||
"Ibasura" may also mean "trash" as in garbage, or to discard something. |
Aymara | khitanukuña | ||
Guarani | mboyke | ||
Esperanto | eksigi | ||
The word "eksigi" in Esperanto also means "to leave out or omit something" and is related to the word "ekso", meaning "outside" or "away from." | |||
Latin | dimitte | ||
The Latin word "dimitte" also means "to send away, to let go, to abandon, to forsake, to release, to set free, to pardon, to forgive, to absolve, to remit, to cancel, to annul, to abolish, to destroy, to ruin, to defeat, to conquer, to overcome, to subdue, to suppress, to crush, to annihilate, to exterminate." |
Greek | απολύω | ||
The word "απολύω" in Greek can also mean "to set free" or "to release". | |||
Hmong | lawb tawm | ||
"Lawb tawm" can also mean "set free" or "release" in Lao | |||
Kurdish | berdan | ||
The word "berdan" in Kurdish is a homophone and can also mean "to give birth". | |||
Turkish | reddet | ||
The word "Reddet" in Turkish is derived from the Arabic word "Radd", meaning "to reject" or "to send back". | |||
Xhosa | ukugxotha | ||
The word "ukugxotha" can also mean "to drive away" or "to chase away". | |||
Yiddish | אָפּזאָגן | ||
אָפּזאָגן (opzogn) is ultimately derived from Middle High German "absagen," meaning a formal refusal or abrogation, cognate with English "absolve" and Spanish "absolver." | |||
Zulu | khipha | ||
Derived from the word 'khuphula', meaning to remove or set aside. | |||
Assamese | বৰ্খাস্ত | ||
Aymara | khitanukuña | ||
Bhojpuri | खारिज | ||
Dhivehi | ދުރުކޮށްލުން | ||
Dogri | रद्द | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | balewalain | ||
Guarani | mboyke | ||
Ilocano | papanawen | ||
Krio | pul | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | بەلاوە نان | ||
Maithili | खारिज | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯈꯠꯇꯣꯛꯄ | ||
Mizo | hnawl | ||
Oromo | balleessuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ବରଖାସ୍ତ | ||
Quechua | chanqapuy | ||
Sanskrit | उत्सृज् | ||
Tatar | эштән алу | ||
Tigrinya | ምስንባት | ||
Tsonga | bakanya | ||