Suffixes pattern
The -ty words: -dad in Spanish, -tà in Italian
Abstract nouns — quality, city, university — share one Latin spine across all three languages.
Formula-ty → -dad → -tàFamilySuffixes
quality
calidad
qualità
-ty → -dad → -tà
The rule
English abstract nouns ending in -ty almost always come from Latin -tas. Spanish turned that into -dad; Italian into -tà, with a stressed final vowel that always takes an accent.
Quality, university, city, liberty, activity — the rule holds across the whole family. The Italian accent is not decoration; it tells you exactly where the stress lands.
More words this unlocks
city
ciudad
città
-ty → -dad → -tà
university
universidad
università
-ty → -dad → -tà
Related patterns
See the next one refract
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