Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'violate' carries a significant weight, often associated with transgression, invasion of rights, and disregard for boundaries. Its cultural importance is evident in the way it is used to describe actions that go against laws, social norms, and personal spaces. Understanding its translation in different languages can provide valuable insights into how various cultures perceive and address such actions.
Did you know that the Latin root of 'violate' is 'violare', which means 'to defile'? Or that in ancient Rome, to 'violate' someone's 'ius' (rights) was considered a grave offense? These historical contexts add depth to our understanding of the word.
If you're interested in language and culture, you might want to know how 'violate' translates in different languages. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'violar', in French, 'violer', and in German, 'verletzen'. Each translation offers a unique perspective, reflecting the language's cultural nuances.
Afrikaans | oortree | ||
"Oortree" is related to "overtreden" (to transgress) and "overtreed" (to commit a crime). However, it also derives from the obsolete word "ortreden" (to tread on), which suggests a physical violation. | |||
Amharic | መጣስ | ||
The verb "መጣስ" also has the meaning "touch" in Amharic, and is related to the noun "ጣስ", which means "finger". | |||
Hausa | keta | ||
Hausa “keta” is thought to be related to the word for “break”, but can also mean “steal”, or “defile”. | |||
Igbo | mebie | ||
Malagasy | mandika | ||
The Malagasy word | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | kuphwanya | ||
The word "kuphwanya" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean "to destroy" or "to break" something. | |||
Shona | kutyora | ||
The word "kutyora" could mean either "deflower" or "to remove the first fruit from a tree"} | |||
Somali | ku xad gudub | ||
"Ku xad gudub" can also mean to invade, infringe, or trespass. | |||
Sesotho | tlola | ||
The word "tlola" can also mean "to break" or "to transgress". | |||
Swahili | kukiuka | ||
The word 'kukiuka' in Swahili is derived from the Arabic word 'al-hukku' which means 'the right' or 'the just' | |||
Xhosa | yaphula | ||
The Xhosa word "yaphula" also means "to break a law or rule" or "to offend against morality or decency." | |||
Yoruba | ṣẹ | ||
"Ṣẹ" also means "offend" or "insult". | |||
Zulu | ukwephula umthetho | ||
The word "ukwephula umthetho" in Zulu can also mean "to break the law" or "to transgress". | |||
Bambara | ka sariya tiɲɛ | ||
Ewe | da le se dzi | ||
Kinyarwanda | kurenga | ||
Lingala | kobuka mobeko | ||
Luganda | okumenya amateeka | ||
Sepedi | roba molao | ||
Twi (Akan) | bu mmara so | ||
Arabic | ينتهك | ||
The verb "ينتهك" shares the root with the noun "المُنتهَك" meaning "a breach", hence signifying a "transgression" or "violation". | |||
Hebrew | לְהָפֵר | ||
The verb 'לְהָפֵר' ('lah-peer') in Hebrew can also mean 'to annul' or 'to break' (a law, contract, or covenant). | |||
Pashto | سرغړونه | ||
The word "سرغړونه" is also used in Pashto to describe the act of breaking a rule or law. | |||
Arabic | ينتهك | ||
The verb "ينتهك" shares the root with the noun "المُنتهَك" meaning "a breach", hence signifying a "transgression" or "violation". |
Albanian | shkelin | ||
The word "shkelin" in Albanian comes from the Latin word "scalere", meaning "to climb". It also has the alternate meaning of "to transgress". | |||
Basque | bortxatu | ||
Catalan | violar | ||
In Catalan, "violar" can also mean "to play the viola" | |||
Croatian | prekršiti | ||
The word "prekršiti" in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*prěkъrstiti", meaning "to cross over". It can also mean "to infringe upon" or "to break". | |||
Danish | overtræder | ||
The word "overtræder" can also mean "to cross" or "to break". | |||
Dutch | schenden | ||
The verb "schenden" also means "to harm, injure, or damage" in Dutch. | |||
English | violate | ||
"Violate" has roots in Latin meaning "to abuse, injure, or defile" and can refer to breaking the law, a treaty, or a trust. | |||
French | violer | ||
Frisian | oertrêdzje | ||
Galician | violar | ||
In Galician, "violar" can also mean "to play the violin" or "to infringe a law or rule". | |||
German | verletzen | ||
While 'verletzen' means 'violate', it can also refer to physical injury or damage. | |||
Icelandic | brjóta | ||
The word "brjóta" in Icelandic can also mean "break", "snap", or "disrupt". | |||
Irish | sárú | ||
Italian | violare | ||
"Violare" also means to "transgress" or "break" and comes from the Latin "violare," meaning "to treat with violence," and from "vis," meaning "force, violence." | |||
Luxembourgish | verletzen | ||
The Luxembourgish word "verletzen" is derived from the Middle High German word "verlêzen", which means "to cause to lose" or "to damage". | |||
Maltese | tikser | ||
"Tikser" can also mean "tick", "twitch" or "touch" in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | bryte | ||
Bryte is also used in Norwegian to describe the act of 'breaking' something, like a rule or a contract. | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | violar | ||
Portuguese "violar" comes from Latin "violare", meaning "to outrage, defile, or destroy". | |||
Scots Gaelic | violate | ||
In Scots Gaelic, 'violate' means 'to defile' or 'to pollute' in addition to 'to violate'. | |||
Spanish | violar | ||
Swedish | kränka | ||
Kränka can also mean "to abuse" or "to insult" in Swedish. | |||
Welsh | torri | ||
The word "torri" is related to the Welsh word "torriad", meaning "an assault; a siege; a spoil." |
Belarusian | парушаць | ||
The word "парушаць" in Belarusian also has the alternate meaning of "to break" when talking about objects or rules. | |||
Bosnian | prekršiti | ||
"Prekršiti" is a verb in Bosnian that can also mean "to trespass" or "to infringe upon." | |||
Bulgarian | нарушават | ||
The Bulgarian word "нарушават" also means "to interfere with" or "to disturb the peace." | |||
Czech | porušit | ||
The word "porušit" in Czech also means "to break" or "to infringe upon". | |||
Estonian | rikkuma | ||
The word | |||
Finnish | rikkoa | ||
The word "rikkoa" can also mean "to break" or "to destroy". | |||
Hungarian | megsérteni | ||
The verb "megsérteni" in Hungarian, meaning "to violate", has several derivatives, including "sérteni" (to hurt) and "sérülés" (injury). | |||
Latvian | pārkāpt | ||
Pārkāpt comes from the verb “kāpt”, meaning “to step”, hence “pārkāpt” could also mean “to step across (or over)." | |||
Lithuanian | pažeisti | ||
Lithuanian word "pažeisti" derives from "žeidimui", a medieval injury payment based on social class. | |||
Macedonian | кршат | ||
The Slavic root *krŭšiti ('to crush, break') also yields Old Church Slavonic крѹшьтѫ ( | |||
Polish | naruszać | ||
The word "naruszać" also means "to trespass" or "to encroach". | |||
Romanian | încălca | ||
The word "încălca" in Romanian can also mean "to transgress" or "to infringe". | |||
Russian | нарушать | ||
The verb also has the connotation of "to break" or "to infringe" and can be used in a variety of contexts, including legal, ethical, and social. | |||
Serbian | прекршити | ||
The Serbian word "прекршити" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic root *perk-, meaning "to pass over". | |||
Slovak | porušovať | ||
The word "porušovať" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "porušiti", meaning "to destroy". | |||
Slovenian | kršijo | ||
"Kršijo" can also mean "transgress,""infringe upon," or "disobey." | |||
Ukrainian | порушувати | ||
The Ukrainian word "порушувати" can also mean "to disturb" or "to interrupt". |
Bengali | লঙ্ঘন করা | ||
লঙ্ঘন করা also means "transgression" or "breach" in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | ઉલ્લંઘન | ||
ઉલ્લંઘન primarily means infringement or transgression and is an abstract noun. | |||
Hindi | का उल्लंघन | ||
"का उल्लंघन" is derived from the Sanskrit word "langhan" meaning "to transgress" or "to jump over". | |||
Kannada | ಉಲ್ಲಂಘಿಸಿ | ||
Malayalam | ലംഘിക്കുക | ||
The word 'ലംഘിക്കുക' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'langh', which means 'to jump' or 'to stride'. | |||
Marathi | उल्लंघन | ||
In Sanskrit, 'उल्लंघन' can also mean 'to leap over' or 'to transgress'. | |||
Nepali | उल्लंघन गर्नुहोस् | ||
Punjabi | ਉਲੰਘਣਾ | ||
In some contexts, "ਉਲੰਘਣਾ" can also mean "to transgress" or "to break a rule or boundary." | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | උල්ලං .නය කරන්න | ||
Tamil | மீறு | ||
The Tamil word "மீறு" can also mean "to exceed" or "to surpass." | |||
Telugu | ఉల్లంఘించండి | ||
Urdu | خلاف ورزی کرنا | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 违反 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) | 違反 | ||
「違反」源自古代法令條文,原意為「悖逆、違背」。」} | |||
Japanese | 違反する | ||
The verb 違反する can also mean 'to infringe', 'to contravene', or 'to transgress'. | |||
Korean | 위반하다 | ||
The Sino-Korean word 위반하다 is derived from the Chinese characters 違反, which mean 'to go against'. It can also be used to mean 'to trespass' or 'to infringe'. | |||
Mongolian | зөрчих | ||
"Зөрчих" is also used to refer to the act of breaking a law, rule, or agreement. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ချိုးဖောက် | ||
Indonesian | melanggar | ||
The word 'melanggar' in Indonesian has its roots in the Old Javanese word 'langgar', meaning 'to cross a boundary'. | |||
Javanese | nglanggar | ||
"Nglanggar" also means "crossing over" in Javanese, referring to a river or other boundary. | |||
Khmer | រំលោភ | ||
The word "រំលោភ" (violate) in Khmer is derived from the Sanskrit word "lobha" (greed, desire). | |||
Lao | ລະເມີດ | ||
Malay | melanggar | ||
Melanggar can also mean 'to commit a crime' or 'to cross a line' in Malay. | |||
Thai | ละเมิด | ||
In Thai, the word "ละเมิด" also means to "violate a law", "transgress", or "break a contract". | |||
Vietnamese | xâm phạm | ||
The word "xâm phạm" is a Sino-Vietnamese compound that contains the classifier "xâm" and the verb "phạm", and it usually refers to violations of someone's rights or an authority figure's rules. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lumabag | ||
Azerbaijani | pozmaq | ||
The word "pozmaq" in Azerbaijani also means "to spoil" or "to waste". | |||
Kazakh | бұзу | ||
"Бұзу" can also mean "to break" or "to spoil" in Kazakh. | |||
Kyrgyz | бузуу | ||
Бузуу, meaning "violate" in Kyrgyz, also means "to become entangled" or "to have a fight". | |||
Tajik | вайрон кардан | ||
In Farsi, the word "vayron kardan" also means "to cause great harm or injustice to someone." | |||
Turkmen | bozmak | ||
Uzbek | buzmoq | ||
The Uzbek word "buzmoq" also means "to break" or "to smash" something. | |||
Uyghur | خىلاپلىق قىلىش | ||
Hawaiian | hana ʻino | ||
Maori | takahi | ||
The word takahi is a loanword from Cook Island Maori, where it means "strong" or "powerful" | |||
Samoan | soli | ||
The word "soli" can also mean "to wound" or "to injure" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | lumabag | ||
The word "lumabag" in Tagalog is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*labag", which means "to transgress" or "to violate." |
Aymara | jan walt’ayaña | ||
Guarani | oviola haguã | ||
Esperanto | malobservi | ||
Esperanto "malobservi" is the antonym of "observi" (to observe), and is derived from the Latin "malus" (bad) and "observare" (to observe). | |||
Latin | irrita faceremus | ||
"Irritare" literally means "to provoke" (as in "irritation") or to "make vain," in this case a promise. |
Greek | παραβιάζω | ||
"Παραβιάζω" also means "to exceed a speed limit". | |||
Hmong | ua txhaum | ||
"Ua txhaum" is a Hmong word that also means "to break". | |||
Kurdish | birînkirin | ||
The word 'birînkirin' is derived from the Kurdish word 'birîn' ('wound') and the suffix '-kirin' ('to make'), meaning literally 'to make a wound' or 'to wound'. | |||
Turkish | ihlal etmek | ||
"İhlal etmek" kelimenin kökeni Arapça "halel" sözüdür ve anlamı "bozma, yırtma veya delme, hasar verme" | |||
Xhosa | yaphula | ||
The Xhosa word "yaphula" also means "to break a law or rule" or "to offend against morality or decency." | |||
Yiddish | אָנרירן | ||
In Yiddish, the word "אָנרירן" (onriren) can also mean "to touch or handle" something. | |||
Zulu | ukwephula umthetho | ||
The word "ukwephula umthetho" in Zulu can also mean "to break the law" or "to transgress". | |||
Assamese | উলংঘা কৰা | ||
Aymara | jan walt’ayaña | ||
Bhojpuri | उल्लंघन करे के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޚިލާފުވުން | ||
Dogri | उल्लंघन करना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | lumabag | ||
Guarani | oviola haguã | ||
Ilocano | aglabsing | ||
Krio | fɔ pwɛl di lɔ | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | پێشێلکردن | ||
Maithili | उल्लंघन करब | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯌꯦꯜ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | bawhchhiat a ni | ||
Oromo | cabsuu | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଉଲ୍ଲଂଘନ କରନ୍ତୁ | | ||
Quechua | violar | ||
Sanskrit | उल्लङ्घनम् | ||
Tatar | бозу | ||
Tigrinya | ምጥሓስ ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga | ku tlula nawu | ||