Stretch in Different Languages
Discover 'Stretch' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Stretch is a simple word, but it holds a world of meaning. It refers to the act of making something longer or larger, or to the ability of something to be made longer or larger. But stretch is also a metaphor for reaching beyond our limits, for striving to achieve more than we thought possible. This cultural significance is reflected in languages around the world.
For example, in Spanish, stretch translates to 'estirar'. It's a word that's used in everyday language, from yoga classes to construction sites. In French, stretch is 'étirer', a term that's just as common in a Parisian dance studio as it is on a farm in the French countryside, where it's used to describe the lengthening of muscles in animals.
Understanding the translation of stretch in different languages not only broadens our vocabulary, but it also gives us a glimpse into the cultures that use these words. From the Spanish 'estirar' to the French 'étirer', the word stretch is a testament to our shared human experience of reaching beyond our limits.
Stretch
Stretch in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | rek | ||
| The word "rek" also means "straight" or "correct" in Afrikaans, derived from the Dutch word "recht." | |||
| Amharic | ዘርጋ | ||
| The word "ዘርጋ" can also refer to a line or a row, and is related to the word "ዘር", meaning "seed". | |||
| Hausa | mikewa | ||
| The word "mikewa" can also refer to a period of time or a distance. | |||
| Igbo | gbatịa | ||
| The word 'gbatịa' can also mean 'to extend' or 'to elongate'. | |||
| Malagasy | mihinjitra | ||
| The word "mihinjitra" in Malagasy also means "to extend" or "to enlarge". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kutambasula | ||
| Kutambasula in Nyanja can also refer to the extension or prolongation of something, such as a time period or an event. | |||
| Shona | tatamuka | ||
| "Tatamuka" also means "to be wide" or "to be broad" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | kala bixin | ||
| The word "kala bixin" also implies the act of extracting something valuable or useful from a situation. | |||
| Sesotho | otlolla | ||
| The word "otlolla" can also mean "extend" or "protrude". | |||
| Swahili | kunyoosha | ||
| The word "kunyoosha" in Swahili can also mean "to extend" or "to lengthen". | |||
| Xhosa | zolula | ||
| "Zolula" also means "to be on the brink of losing consciousness" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | na isan | ||
| "Na isan" can also refer to a type of hairstyle, where hair is pulled back tightly and woven into intricate designs. | |||
| Zulu | elula | ||
| In Zulu, 'elula' can also refer to 'making a point' or 'asserting something'. | |||
| Bambara | ka sama | ||
| Ewe | he eme | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kurambura | ||
| Lingala | komitandola | ||
| Luganda | okugolola | ||
| Sepedi | nganga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | twe mu | ||
Stretch in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تمتد | ||
| The word "تمتد" (stretch) is a verb in Arabic that can also mean "to extend, to reach out, or to spread out." | |||
| Hebrew | לִמְתוֹחַ | ||
| The verb 'לִמְתוֹחַ' can also mean 'to draw' or 'to stretch out', as in the case of a rubber band. | |||
| Pashto | پراخول | ||
| The word "پراخول" in Pashto also means "widely spread" or "dispersed". | |||
| Arabic | تمتد | ||
| The word "تمتد" (stretch) is a verb in Arabic that can also mean "to extend, to reach out, or to spread out." | |||
Stretch in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shtrihet | ||
| The Albanian noun shtrirje means either "a stretch" or "width" | |||
| Basque | luzatu | ||
| "Luzatu" also means "extend (a period of time)" or "prolong". | |||
| Catalan | estirar | ||
| In Catalan, "estirar" also means to draw out, to make taut, or to straighten something. | |||
| Croatian | protežu se | ||
| Protežu se can also mean "extend," "spread," "project," or "reach" | |||
| Danish | strække | ||
| "Strække" also means "to spread" or "to pull out." | |||
| Dutch | uitrekken | ||
| "Uitrekken" can also mean "to move" or "to evacuate". | |||
| English | stretch | ||
| "Stretch" can mean either "to extend the length" or "a sustained period of effort or activity." | |||
| French | étendue | ||
| "L'étendue" originally meant only the distance between two parallel lines on a map | |||
| Frisian | stretch | ||
| The Frisian word "stretch" can also refer to a stretch of land, a part of a river, or a period of time. | |||
| Galician | estirar | ||
| In Portuguese, where the word comes from, "estirar" can also mean "to extend a credit line". | |||
| German | strecken | ||
| The German word "strecken" can also refer to straightening something or to a section of a road, path, or rail line. | |||
| Icelandic | teygja | ||
| The Icelandic word "teygja" is cognate with other Germanic words meaning "to draw" or "to pull", and also has a meaning of "to compose poetry". | |||
| Irish | síneadh | ||
| The Irish word "síneadh" also refers to the act of extending, dilating, or enlarging something. | |||
| Italian | allungare | ||
| The word "allungare" comes from the Latin word "allongare," which means "to lengthen" or "to extend." | |||
| Luxembourgish | strecken | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "strecken" also means "to kill" and is derived from the Old High German "strecken," meaning "to lay down, to fell." | |||
| Maltese | iġġebbed | ||
| The verb "iġġebbed" is derived from the Arabic word "جبّ" (jabb), meaning "to pull" or "to attract". | |||
| Norwegian | tøye ut | ||
| The Norwegian word "tøye ut" also means "to extend". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | esticam | ||
| The word "esticam" in Portuguese also comes from the Germanic root *stik- "to thrust, stick", also found in "espeto" (skewer). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sìneadh | ||
| In the Isle of Arran dialect, "sìneadh" also refers to the elastic band in a catapult. | |||
| Spanish | tramo | ||
| "Tramo" also means "section", as in "tramo de carretera" (section of road). | |||
| Swedish | sträcka | ||
| The word 'sträcka' originally meant a length or distance and is related to the word 'streck', which means a line or stroke. | |||
| Welsh | ymestyn | ||
| Its Middle Welsh cognate is 'emestyn' and the word probably originates from the Proto-Celtic root *ĭm-. | |||
Stretch in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | расцягвацца | ||
| Bosnian | rastezanje | ||
| In Serbian, the word 'raztezanje' has the same meaning of 'stretch', but it also refers to a type of folk dance. | |||
| Bulgarian | опъвам, разтягам | ||
| The word "опъвам, разтягам" can also mean "to pull", "to stretch out", "to extend", "to distend", "to elongate", "to widen", "to enlarge", "to expand", "to fill", and "to fill out". | |||
| Czech | protáhnout se | ||
| The word "protáhnout se" also means "to get through" or "to sneak through" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | venitada | ||
| The word "venitada" can also mean "to give a helping hand" or "to do something with a lot of effort". | |||
| Finnish | venyttää | ||
| "Venyttää" is a verb that can mean either "to stretch" or "to loan", depending on context. | |||
| Hungarian | nyújtás | ||
| Nyújtás can also mean offering or granting in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | stiept | ||
| In the Vidzeme dialect, "stiept" also means "to take with force". | |||
| Lithuanian | ištempti | ||
| The Lithuanian "ištempti" originally meant to pull a rope to a certain length; "tempi" (Latin) means a period of time; "tempe" (Ancient Greek): a narrow valley, gorge; Greek "temnein": to cut. | |||
| Macedonian | се водат | ||
| The verb "се водат" can also refer to the process of being in a relationship with someone or to be in a state of prolonged or difficult effort. | |||
| Polish | rozciągać | ||
| In biology, the word "rozciągać" can refer to the process of cell elongation. | |||
| Romanian | întinde | ||
| Întinde can also mean "to spread" or "to apply", such as applying paint or lotion. | |||
| Russian | протяжение | ||
| "Протяжение" also means "length", "duration", "extent", "course", "reach" and "range". | |||
| Serbian | протежу се | ||
| The verb "protežu se" is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "protegati", meaning "to stretch out, reach out, spread out". | |||
| Slovak | natiahnuť | ||
| The word "natiahnuť" also means "to put on" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | raztegniti | ||
| The word 'raztegniti' in Slovenian is derived from the verb 'tegniti' ('to pull'), and also means 'to elongate' or 'to extend'. | |||
| Ukrainian | розтягнути | ||
| The word "розтягнути" can also mean to extend or prolong something in time. | |||
Stretch in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | প্রসারিত | ||
| প্রসারিত' has alternate meanings of 'extension' and 'expansion' | |||
| Gujarati | પટ | ||
| The Gujarati word "પટ" can also refer to a type of silk fabric or a strip of cloth. | |||
| Hindi | खिंचाव | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of 'extension', the Hindi word "खिंचाव" can also refer to tension, suspense, or attraction. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಿಗ್ಗಿಸಿ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಹಿಗ್ಗಿಸಿ" not only means "stretch" but also signifies "enlarge, inflate" and "expand". | |||
| Malayalam | വലിച്ചുനീട്ടുക | ||
| Its alternate meaning is prolonging or extending. | |||
| Marathi | ताणून लांब करणे | ||
| In English, “stretch” means to make something longer or wider by pulling it, while it can also mean to lie down at full length, or to exaggerate or overstate the truth. | |||
| Nepali | तन्नु | ||
| The noun 'तन्नु' ('stretch') also means 'length' and originates from the Proto-Indo-European root "ten-" ('stretch'). | |||
| Punjabi | ਖਿੱਚੋ | ||
| The Punjabi word "ਖਿੱਚੋ" can also be used to refer to the act of pulling or dragging something. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | දිගු කරන්න | ||
| In classical Sinhala, the word "දිගු කරන්න" also means "to delay" or "to make something longer" in time as well as in space. | |||
| Tamil | நீட்சி | ||
| In Tamil, 'நீட்சி' ('stretch') also refers to an extension or prolongation in time or space, or a figurative extension of meaning or purpose. | |||
| Telugu | సాగదీయండి | ||
| "సాగదీయండి" means not only in the literal sense "to extend"" when used for time, but can also be synonymous with "delay". | |||
| Urdu | کھینچنا | ||
Stretch in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 伸展 | ||
| It can also mean ‘to extend’, ‘to lengthen’, ‘to unfold’, or ‘to expand’. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 伸展 | ||
| "伸展" can also mean to declare or reveal (as a plan or intention). | |||
| Japanese | ストレッチ | ||
| ストレッチ is also used to describe the feeling of being exhausted or fed up. | |||
| Korean | 뻗기 | ||
| "뻗기" can also mean "to die", likely from the idea of lying down and not moving. | |||
| Mongolian | сунах | ||
| In Mongolian, the word "сунах" can also mean "to pull" or "to extend something". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆန့် | ||
| ဆန့် also can be used to describe the condition of something that looks like something is tightly pulled | |||
Stretch in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | meregang | ||
| Meregang can also refer to the act of stretching a musical instrument's strings. | |||
| Javanese | mulet | ||
| The word mulet has another meaning, which is 'to be forced to pay someone, usually as compensation for something.' | |||
| Khmer | លាតសន្ធឹង | ||
| The word "លាតសន្ធឹង" can also be used to describe the process of stretching out something, such as dough or cloth. | |||
| Lao | ຍືດ | ||
| The same Lao word "ຍືດ" (stretch) also means "borrow money". | |||
| Malay | regangan | ||
| The word "regangan" in Malay can also mean "extension" or "a period of time". | |||
| Thai | ยืด | ||
| The word "ยืด" can also mean "to delay" or "to postpone" in Thai. | |||
| Vietnamese | căng ra | ||
| The etymology of the word "căng ra" dates back to Old Vietnamese "căng" (to be tight) and "ra" (to move outward). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mag-inat | ||
Stretch in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | uzanmaq | ||
| The word "uzanmaq" in Azerbaijani can also mean "to reach out" or "to extend". | |||
| Kazakh | созу | ||
| The word созу can also refer to "length" or "span". | |||
| Kyrgyz | сунуу | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "сунуу" can also mean "to put something in a hole or cavity", such as a nail into a wall. | |||
| Tajik | дароз кардан | ||
| "дароз кардан" (stretch) in Tajik is derived from the Persian "daroz kardan" meaning "lengthen". In addition to its primary meaning, "дароз кардан" can be used figuratively in Tajik to describe something that is very large, excessive, or expansive in duration. | |||
| Turkmen | uzat | ||
| Uzbek | cho'zish | ||
| The word "cho'zish" in Uzbek also refers to the extension or expansion of something. | |||
| Uyghur | سوز | ||
Stretch in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kīloi | ||
| In Hawaiian, the verb kīloi can also mean 'to beckon' or 'to beckon someone to come' | |||
| Maori | totoro | ||
| In Maori, "totoro" also refers to a type of eel. | |||
| Samoan | faʻaloaloa | ||
| "Faʻaloaloa" can also refer to an elongation of a word in a song. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mag-inat | ||
| "Mag-inat" has alternate meanings in Tagalog, including "to warm up" and "to prepare for something." | |||
Stretch in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jiyt'aña | ||
| Guarani | pehẽngue | ||
Stretch in International Languages
| Esperanto | streĉi | ||
| "Streĉi" can also mean "make a long speech" or "put to the test". | |||
| Latin | proten | ||
| Protendo is the first conjugation of tendo, a verb that means to stretch out or extend. | |||
Stretch in Others Languages
| Greek | τέντωμα | ||
| Τέντωμα can also mean tension, extension, pulling or spreading. | |||
| Hmong | ncab | ||
| The term "ncab" in Hmong can also refer to extension, expansion, or enlargement. | |||
| Kurdish | dirêjkirin | ||
| The word "dirêjkirin" comes from the Old Iranian verb "drēǰ-," meaning "to extend" or "to make longer." | |||
| Turkish | uzatmak | ||
| Uzatmak derives from the Proto-Turkic word üz (stretch, lengthen), from a Proto-Uralic verb meaning “to lengthen, grow”. | |||
| Xhosa | zolula | ||
| "Zolula" also means "to be on the brink of losing consciousness" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | אויסשטרעקן | ||
| אויסשטרעקן can also refer to a form of torture or execution where a person is stretched on the rack. | |||
| Zulu | elula | ||
| In Zulu, 'elula' can also refer to 'making a point' or 'asserting something'. | |||
| Assamese | প্ৰসাৰিত কৰা | ||
| Aymara | jiyt'aña | ||
| Bhojpuri | फैलाव | ||
| Dhivehi | ދެމުން | ||
| Dogri | खिच्चना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mag-inat | ||
| Guarani | pehẽngue | ||
| Ilocano | bennaten | ||
| Krio | strɛch | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کێشهێنانەوە | ||
| Maithili | खिंचाव | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯤꯡꯊꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | fan | ||
| Oromo | harkisuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିସ୍ତାର | ||
| Quechua | mastariy | ||
| Sanskrit | विस्तार | ||
| Tatar | суз | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘርገሐ | ||
| Tsonga | tsanyula | ||