# to lack / miss



## ThomasK

I am interested in how you translate both verb and noun (_to lack, a lack_). If there is an etymological or morphological link with "to miss" (as that might be considered to mean: "to feel as lacking"), tell me too please.

Dutch :
- _to lack_, *ontbreken* (un- or dis-break -- but the "semantic" etymology of this kind of 'breaking" is not clear to me)
- _a lack_, *gebrek* (result of breaking literally)
T_o miss_, missen: no link at all with the Dutch "lack" words...


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## Sardokan1.0

In Italian and Sardinian both verbs "to lack / to miss" are translated as "mancare", from Latin "mancus" (crippled, flawed, incomplete, lacking)

_to lack / to miss_ : *mancare*
_a lack :_ *mancanza *(Italian) *mancantzia *(Sardinian)

p.s.
I forgot to mention "carenza" (Italian) "carentzia" (Sardinian)


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## Dymn

*Catalan*:

- "A lack": _manca, falta, mancança, carència_
- "To lack": _faltar, mancar _(from _manc _"one-handed", Latin _mancus _"maimed, crippled, defective")

- "To miss" (to feel the absence): _trobar a faltar _("to find to lack"), _enyorar_ (unknown etymology, probably from Latin _ignorare_)

*Spanish*:

- "A lack": _falta, carencia_
- "To lack": _faltar, carecer _(from Vulgar Latin *_carescere, _Latin _carere _"to lack" (same as _parecer _from _parere_))

- "To miss": _echar de menos _(from Wiktionary: Originally an archaic Galician–Portuguese idiom, "achar de menos" (to feel an absence, lit. to find less of anything), entering in Spanish as "echar de menos" (mistaking G–P "achar", to find (Sp. "hallar"), with Sp. "echar", to throw, both verbs pronounced similarly and both of them with a multitude of idioms), note that "echar de menos" means lit. (in Sp.) "to throw less (of expected) of anything"), _extrañar _(Latin America, _extraño_: strange), _añorar _(from Catalan).

-----

_Falta_: (cf. _fault_) Vulgar Latin _*fallita_, feminine of _*fallitus_, instead of Latin _falsus _(cf. _false_), perfect passive participle of _fallare _(cf. _fail_; meaning "to deceive, mistake, escape the notice of").


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## apmoy70

Greek:

To lack: *«Στερούμαι»* [steˈɾume] --> _to be deprived of, lack/lack in, not have_ < Classical deponent v. *«στέρομαι»  stérŏmai* --> _to be robbed, lack, lose_ (PIE *ster- _to steal, rob_ with no certain cognates. A possible connection is with OIr serb, _theft_).

Lack:
*«Έλλειψη»* [ˈelip͡si] (fem.) < Classical 3rd declension deverbal fem. noun *«ἔλλειψις» éllei̯p͡sis* (nom. sing.), *«ἐλλείψεως» ĕlleí̯p͡sĕōs* (gen. sing.) --> _falling short, defect, omission, lack, (math.) ellipse_ < Classical v. *«ἐλλείπω» ĕlleí̯pō* --> _to leave in/out/undone, fall short, fail, lack, be inferior to_ < compound; Classical prefix, adverb, and preposition *«ἐν» ĕn* --> _in, within_ (PIE *h₁en(i)- _in_ cf Lat. in, Proto-Germanic *in) + Classical v. *«λείπω» leí̯pō* --> _(trans.) to leave behind, (intrans.) to be wanting, disappear_ (PIE *leikʷ- _to leave behind_ cf Skt. रिणक्ति  (riṇakti), _to release, set free_, Lat. linquere, _to leave, depart_, Proto-Germanic *laihną > Ger. lehen, Dt. leen, Eng. loan).

To miss: *«Χάνω»* [ˈxano] < Byz. verb *«χάνω» khánō* --> _to miss, lose_ < Classical denominative v. *«χαόω/χαῶ» kʰăóō* (uncontracted)/*kʰaô* (contracted) --> _to devour, utterly destroy, throw into chaos_ < Classical neut. noun *«χάος» kʰắŏs* --> _chaos, unlimited empty space, wide chasm, abyss_ (from a possible PIE root *gʰeh₂-mn- _palate_ cf Lith. gomurys, _palate_, Proto-Germanic *gaume(n)- > Ger. Gaumen).

So, no link at all.


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## ThomasK

@Sardokan1.0: but do you then say "Tu me manques" or "I miss you"? In other words: who is the subject of your _mancare_?


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## Sardokan1.0

ThomasK said:


> @Sardokan1.0: but do you then say "Tu me manques" or "I miss you"? In other words: who is the subject of your _mancare_?



the subject is always Tu

in Italian : *tu* mi manchi (literally "you miss to me")
in Sardinian : *tue *mi mancas (same as above)

the subject is often omitted, you can guess it from the verb conjugated in 2nd singular person

mi manchi / mi mancas


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## ThomasK

Thank you (grazie ;-))ç Then we have a different concept, I'd say: "I miss you" is obviously semantically related to "you miss to me", but I'd say there is some basic difference.

@Apmoy: thanks!
- I suppose the first term is related to "sterile", but not "stereo", I guess
- the second has the same root as "ellipsis" of course

@Diamant7; any difference between "falta" and "carencia"?
The "miss" verb have the "I miss you" structure, I suppose, not the "You are lacking to me" (bad English), doesn't it?


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## Dymn

ThomasK said:


> @Diamant7; any difference between "falta" and "carencia"?
> The "miss" verb have the "I miss you" structure, I suppose, not the "You are lacking to me" (bad English), doesn't it?


_Falta _has more meanings (like "foul" in a sport) and is more colloquial than _carencia_.

As for the second question, you're right, they have the "I miss you" structure. It's the "lack" verbs that have a different structure from that of English:

English: _He lacks clothes._
Cat: _Li falta roba. _("Clothes lack to him")
Spa: _Le falta ropa. _(same)


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## mataripis

The Tagalog of lack is kulang.The noun form is Salat.Something is lacking- May kulang na bagay.There is food shortage-May KaSalatan sa pagkain.As I read the Greek words, eillipsi and eillipo are related to Tagalog Lipas( gone,expired,) which is also related to labas( go outside the system) with archaic form Lappas of LCI 900 A.D.


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## Messquito

(vt.) 缺乏、缺少、欠缺
(vi.) 缺乏、欠缺、不足(not sufficient)、不夠(not enough)
(n.) 缺乏、不足、不夠、欠缺

缺=缶(
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





pot)+決(
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




crack, opening)-->broken, not complete(缺損、殘缺)-->lack, not enough
乏=之(
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




~leg)+
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




(upon a leg, indicating stress, pressure)-->legs getting exhausted after a long journey-->tired, *exhausted*(疲乏)-->*exhaustion*, lack (what a coincidence! Exhaust and 乏 mean both tired and lack, one in a passive way and the other not)
欠=
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




=
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




(person)+
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




(big mouth)-->yawning out of fatigue-->deficit


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## ThomasK

Great information, but is vt. the translation of "I miss you"? BTW: 3 synonyms seems like much to me. Is there a clear-cut difference between the three?  

@mataripis: it is not quite clear to me.



mataripis said:


> The Tagalog of 'lack" is _*kulang*_.The noun form is _*Salat*_.
> (a) Something is lacking- May *kulang* na bagay.
> (b) There is food shortage-May Ka*Salat*an sa pagkain.
> 
> As I read the Greek words, _eillipsi_ and _eillipo_ are related to Tagalog _Lipas_( gone,expired,) which is also related to _labas_( go outside the system) with archaic form _Lappas_ of LCI 900 A.D.


 Will you
- analyse (a): is _bagay_ something? A very literal translation would be interesting
- analyse (b): _pagkain = _food _? id. 
- _translate : (c) I miss you (or do you translate; You are missing to me [not good English of course]?)


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## Armas

Finnish:

_puute_ "lack, shortage"
_puuttua_ "to lack", another meaning "to intervene", perhaps from dialectal _puuttaa_ "to get stuck"

_pula_ "lack, shortage" also something like "urgent situation, emergency", perhaps related to (obsolete, dialectal?) _pulakka_ "thin ice", in some dialects _pulake_ "pit" or "spot where one sinks easily in a swamp". Ultimately the root _pula_- mimics the sound of something dropping into water (verb _pulahtaa_ with momentane suffix -_ahtaa_).

_vaje_ "lack, deficit"
_olla vajaa_ "to be shy, short, insufficient, not full" < _vajaa_ "shy, short, insufficient, not full"
related to _vajota_ "to sink (intrans.)"

to miss:
_ikävöidä_ < _ikävä_ "longing" < ikä "age"
_kaivata_, etymology uncertain, _kaipuu/kaipaus_ "longing"


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## ThomasK

But then no link between "lack" and "miss" in Finnish, and some references to insufficiency, weakness...


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## mataripis

ThomasK said:


> @mataripis: it is not quite clear to me.
> 
> Will you
> - analyse (a): is _bagay_ something? A very literal translation would be interesting
> - analyse (b): _pagkain = _food _? id.
> - _translate : (c) I miss you (or do you translate; You are missing to me [not good English of course]?)


bagay is thing or something,pagkain-food, the word missing here is absent or not present.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

If, as I think they are, 'manque' (wich is also a verb, 'to miss, to be lacking') means 'lack' or 'absence' in French, and 'disette' means 'lack' or 'shortage', they're not exact synonyms, right? And is 'carence' used only in medical ('inufficiency', e.g. of vitamins)  and legal terminology ('insufficiency' of funds/resources, insolvency')?


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## 123xyz

Macedonian:

*недостига* - lack (be absent or in shortage), miss (e.g. I miss my husband); if you analyse the morphemes, it means "not-towards-reach"
*недостасува* - same as above; lit. "not-towards-arrive/manage/reach"
*фали* - same as above but less formal (coincidentally, it also means "to praise", but these are two separate verbs which have fused into one due to phonological evolution)

Hence, Macedonian has the link between "lack" and "miss" that the OP is asking about, but not with "miss" meaning "fail to hit" (e.g. I missed the target) or "fail to arrive on time" (e.g. I missed the bus).

Here are the nouns:

*недостиг - *lack
*недостаток - *lack

In the nouns, the connection with "miss" is lost - these nouns can only refer to literal lacks, not to an emotional perception of a cherished/needed person/thing's absence.


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## Nizo

Esperanto:

*manki* = to lack
*manko* = a lack (Psalmo 23,1: _La Eternulo estas mia paŝtisto; mi *mankon* ne havos; _The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; _konscimanko/memoromanko_, a loss of consciousness/memory)


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## Dymn

Nizo said:


> Esperanto:
> 
> *manki* = to lack
> *manko* = a lack (Psalmo 23,1: _La Eternulo estas mia paŝtisto; mi *mankon* ne havos; _The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; _konscimanko/memoromanko_, a loss of consciousness/memory)


How about _miss _as in "I miss you"?


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## jazyk

In Portuguese:

a lack - falta, carência
to lack - faltar, carecer

I miss you - Estou com saudade de você/ti. Tenho saudades tuas/suas.


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## Awwal12

Russian lacks the specific verb whatsoever. It has an antonymical construction, though. But let's see it step by step.
The verb хватать (khvatát') [xvɐ't̪atʲ] means "seize", "snatch", "grasp", as long as it's in a standard nominative construction: V + A. (nom.) + P. (acc.).
In the dative construction (V + A. (dat.) + P. (gen.)), though, it takes the meaning "to have enough". "Мне хватает воды" (mné khvatáyet vodý), "I have enough water", literally means "(to) me (it) snatches (of) water".
And, being negated, that construction takes an additional meaning "to miss" (somebody or something absent), "to lack". So, Russians never miss or lack anything or anybody: they just don't have it enough! 
"I miss you" - "мне не хватает тебя" (mné ne khvatáyet tebyá) ['mnʲe nʲɪxvɐ't̪a(j)ɪt̪ tʲɪ'bʲa] lit. "(to) me not snatches (of) you", "(to) me not enoughs you" > "I don't have you enough"

The same construction with the verb "доставать" (dostavát') [d̪əst̪ɐ'vatʲ] - "to get" - is also posible, but archaic.

The respective nouns for "lack" are:
1. нехватка (nekhvátka) [nʲɪ'xvat̪kə] (formal)
2. недостача (nedostácha) [nʲɪd̪ɐ'st̪aʨə] (formal, and NOT archaic, unlike the base verb)
3. недостаток (nedostátok) [nʲɪd̪ɐ'st̪at̪ək] (a bit less formal; also means "shortcoming", "defect")
While the verbal constructions may imply a complete lack, the nouns above cannot; you'd need to use the word for "absence" instead.


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## KalAlbè

Haitian Creole:
*Manke *= both the verb and noun of "*lack*."

As for "to miss(someone)" for example:
Sometimes, Creole speakers will use *"manke"* to mean *"to miss"* (as in: to want).
To be honest, it is best to say* "sonje"* in this case. But you will hear *"manke" *anyways. 
To use this word correctly, it is the item that is being missed which is used as a subject.
*I miss you.*
_Ou manke m.
(you miss to me)_


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## Nizo

Diamant7 said:


> How about _miss _as in "I miss you"?



Esperanto uses the verb *sopiri* in that sense. I miss you = _mi sopiras vin._


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> @Apmoy: thanks!
> - I suppose the first term is related to "sterile", but not "stereo", I guess
> - the second has the same root as "ellipsis" of course


Neither sterile, nor stereo are related to the v. *«στέρομαι»* (see post #4).
They're cognates with the Proto-Germanic *starāną > Eng. stare, Dt. staren, Ger. starren


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## ger4

German:

_der Mangel, das Fehlen_: 'lack'
_mangeln, fehlen_: 'to lack'
_vermissen_: 'to miss, to feel the absence'

_mangeln_ < Latin _mancare_
_fehlen_ < Latin _falsus_ (via Old French _falir, failir_)
(Source: Wiktionary)


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## 810senior

In Japanese

to lack: 欠ける_kakeru_, 足りない_tarinai_(lit. to be not enough) or its kanji'd version 不足しているfusoku-shiteiru.
to miss: no direct word that comes to mind.


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## Frank78

Holger2014 said:


> German:
> 
> _der Mangel, das Fehlen_: 'lack'
> _mangeln, fehlen_: 'to lack'
> *vermissen: 'to miss, to feel the absence'*



But also "ver*fehlen*" (a target for example).


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## spindlemoss

Welsh has the noun *diffyg *"a lack" but no real verb "to lack". You'd have to use *bod heb* "be without", *bod yn brin* "be scarce" or *bod gan (rywun) ddiffyg *"for a lack to be with (someone)".

The phrase for "to miss" is *gweld eisiau*, literally "to the want/need of" or I guess more loosely "to see the lack of", so no direct connection with *diffyg* but with some semantic overlap.


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