The Spanish word 'altura' (meaning 'height') comes from combining two Latin elements. The first part comes from the Latin word 'altus' meaning 'high' or 'grown', which itself derived from the Latin verb 'alere' meaning 'to nourish' or 'grow'. The second part is the Latin suffix '-ura' which indicates a result or activity. When these elements combined, they formed 'altura', literally describing the result or state of being high.

A simpler and more common Spanish word that shares this etymology is 'alto', meaning 'high' or 'tall'. This comes directly from the Latin 'altus' and is used frequently in everyday Spanish. You might hear it in phrases like 'edificio alto' (tall building) or 'voz alta' (loud voice, literally 'high voice').

Several English words share this Latin root, including 'altitude' (height above sea level), 'altimeter' (a device for measuring height), and 'alto' (high voice in music). The word 'altar' is also related, as it originally referred to a high place for sacrifices. Even the word 'old' is distantly related, as it comes from the same Indo-European root with the idea of 'grown' or 'nourished'.