Quoting: mexican, Post #11
Yeah, you've definitely opened my eyes. And I had noticed that Polish is pronounced a lot like Spanish and that many words are very similar. I wonder why that is.
It's Latin. Many European languages kept tight links with the ancient mother of all (European) languages. Some have evolved more, some less. We mustn't forget that in medieval Europe Latin was the language of religion, then was French, also a language close to Latin. Now many Latin expressions are present in many tongues, Latin is still used in medicine and law.
The case of polish is similar. Actually, there are many things you can call either with a Polish word of eastern origin or a Latin-based one. For example kochanek-amant, miłośnik-amator, samochód-auto, piłka nożna-futbol, dziennikarz-żurnalista.