Category Archives: Words from east and west

Words in English which have seeped in from outside. French , Germans and Hindoos

Loanwords from the West of Africa

Bogus : This word comes from the African ‘Boku-Boku’ which means something that is fake. This meaning is transported as it is into the English language and means something that is of a fraudulent nature. Bogus carries the additional meaning … Continue reading

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Loanwords ó Ghaeilge go Béarla(From Irish to English)

Banshee : banshee means a female spirit or fairy that heralds the death of a family member by her wailing. AS in if you hear a banshee wail, then someone in your family is going to die. This was originally … Continue reading

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Loan words from the land of the rising sun!

Karaoke : This is a word loaned from Japan. It has a brilliant meaning in Japanese. It means empty orchestra, and if you think about it that is what karaoke is! Karaoke is when the music score for a song … Continue reading

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Loanwords uber Deutchland!!

Today we will study loanwords from German into English. Their are a hell lot! SO we will tackle them category by category. The first word today is doppelganger. This is originally a German word that has been totally loaned and … Continue reading

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Loanwords 30.09.2011

We will still be continuing with our selection of Hindi Loanwords. The one’s no today’s menu are………. Khaki is the color which can be best described as dusty gray. It is the uniform color of the Indian Police or the … Continue reading

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Loanwords Hindi : Part Deux

The word dinghy which means a small, usually rowable boat, comes from the Hindi word for the same which is ‘dhingy’. You will see these little boats if you ever visit any beach in India. It is the one being … Continue reading

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Loanwords India

Today we will study a few of the loanwords which English has imported from Hindi. The first word to consider is Bandana which is a large handkerchief, usually brightly colored. This word is derived form the word ‘bandhana’ which means … Continue reading

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Loanwords…..

English is a derived language; roughly 30 % Latin, 30% French, 25 % Germanic and the rest of various origins. All in all, English has borrowed heavily from various languages and cultures. Here are a few of those said words, … Continue reading

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From the world of harakiri, sumos and samurais

If you are clever you should, by now know that today’s discussion is about English words of Japanese origin. Learning vocabulary is fun, especially if you can see the connections and find the origins. Bonsai noun an ornamental tree or … Continue reading

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Foreign Words 18

Here Are some more foreign words in common usage de rigueur adjective required by etiquette or current fashion : it was de rigueur for bands to grow their hair long.ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: French, literally ‘in strictness.’ 1. straight hair was de rigueur:  fashionable, in fashion, in vogue, modish, up to … Continue reading

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Foreign words 16

pari passu adverb side by side; at the same rate or on an equal footing : early opera developed pari passu with solo song.ORIGIN Latin, literally ‘with equal step.’ ORIGIN Latin, literally ‘with equal step.’ Example “The new shares being offered by the company now will rank pari passu with the existing shares of the company“

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Foreign words 15

Wanderjahr Phonetics: vahn’der-yahr Origin: German Meaning: a year or period of travel, especially following one’s schooling. Usage: The trio took off on their Wanderjahr, intent on visiting every museum between Edinburgh and Rome.” Weltanschauung Phonetics: velt’an-shou’ung

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Foriegn words 14

tout le monde Phonetics: too luh mond’ Origin: French Meaning: everybody; everyone of importance. Usage: Don’t miss the event; it’s bound to be attended by tout le monde. veni, vidi, vici Phonetics: ven’ee vee’dee vee’chee Origin: Latin

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Foreign words 13

sic transit gloria mundi Phonetics: sick tran’sit glor’ee-uh mun’dee Origin: Latin Meaning: thus passes away the glory of the world. Usage: Watching the aging former football quarterback lumber down the street, potbellied and dissipated, his friend shook his head in … Continue reading

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Foreign words 12

pro bono Phonetics: pro boh’noh Origin: Latin Meaning: done or donated without charge; free. Usage: The lawyer’s pro bono work gave him a sense of value that his work on behalf of the corporation could not. quid pro quo Phonetics: … Continue reading

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