A lot of English words owe their origins to several other languages. Among these are Greek, Latin and Nordic languages. For instance, many of our medical terms are from Greek and Latin. Take “cardiology”: “cardium” is Greek for heart. “Lactation” is another word you may have heard “lac” is Latin for milk. Many words have Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes too. “Archaeology” is the study of ruins-the suffix “logy” means “the study of.
Some 500 years ago, English began to take in words and phrases from other languages. After America was discovered and the new sea route to India was known, the British began to sail around the globe to trade and colonise places. For traders and colonisers, communication was a problem when the locals did not speak English. When British traders established their own governments in the new lands, they made it a point to spread the knowledge of English. For trade and governance, the British needed people who spoke/ wrote English. They needed translators and they needed clerks.
In a two-way process, the Britishers taught English to the local populations in the colonies, and added local words to their vocabulary. Over the years, because of this process of “absorption”, English became richer with an expanded vocabulary.
Today, English dictionaries have a large number of words collected from languages across the world. Many of these words look and sound like English.
At first look, “juggernaut’ sounds like English. But it is an Indian word. Which language is “bungalow” from? [Gujarati “banglo”, Hindi “bangla”] But there are other words that look alien and sound foreign too. They leave us scratching our head, wondering. How do I pronounce this? Here’s a look at some alien words!
Do you know any of the words in this list?
addendum:
an item or items added
ad hoc:
arranged or done, without pre planning, for a particular purpose.
ad infinitum:
continuing or repeated without ever ending: endlessly.
ad nauseam:
to the point of annoyance or disgust.
ad valorem:
(tax or duty) levied according to the value of the goods or transaction.
agent provocateur:
someone employed to induce others to do illegal acts so they can be convicted
aide-de-camp:
a military officer assigned as personal assistant to a higher ranked officer.
aide-memoire:
something that serves as a reminder; a memorandum.
a la carte:
a menu of dishes that may be ordered separately, besides the set meal.
a la mode:
in the fashion; served with ice cream.
alma mater:
one’s former university, college or school
amour propre:
self-respect; self love.
a priori:
based on theoretical deduction from previous facts or experiences.
a propos:
with reference to; to the point.
art nouveau:
a new style of decorative art and architecture
au pair:
a young foreign woman who stays with and assists a family with housework and childcare.
bona fide:
real, genuine, true; not deceiving.
bon appetite:
to wish someone an enjoyable meal.
bon voyage:
to wish someone a good journey.
carte blanche:
full powers; complete freedom to act
charge d’affaires:
deputy ambassador, a subordinate diplomat.
coup de grace:
a final action event that ends a suffering or a deteriorating situation.
coup d’etat:
a sudden overthrow of a government by the army.
crème de la crème:
the very best of a particular kind of thing.
cul-de-sac:
a road that is closed at one end.
de facto:
existing as a fact but not by legal right.
de jure:
rightful; by right.
en bloc:
all together, rather than separately.
esprit de corps:
spirit of comradeship uniting members of a group involved in the same activity.
ex officio:
by virtue of one’s office.
ex tempore:
without preparation.
faux pas:
a social blunder.
in situ:
in its original or usual place.
inter alia:
among other things.
in toto:
as a whole: entirely.
ipso facto:
by that very fact.
lingua franca:
a language used by people whose native languages are different.
modus operandi:
a typical way of doing something.
modus vivendi:
an arrangement for peaceful co existence between conflicting parties.
nota bene:
note well after observing carefully.
nouveau riche:
people who have recently become rich.
par excellence:
the very best surpassing all others.
persona non grata:
a person who is not welcome.
post mortem:
an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death.
quid pro quo:
something that is given or done in exchange for something else.
raison d’etre:
reason something exists or is done.
sine die:
indefinitely.
sine qua non:
something that is absolutely essential
status quo:
the existing situation.
sub judice:
a case under judicial consideration and prohibited from public discussion.
subpoena:
written order ordering someone to attend a court of law or be punished.
tête-à-tête:
a private conversation between two people; face to face.
tour de force:
something achieved skilfully.
ultra vires:
beyond one’s legal power or authority.
vice versa:
used to mean the opposite of a statement or situation is also true.
vis-à-vis:
in relation to: as compared with.
Picture Credit : Google
