Reading – Foreign Words and Expressions

Foreign Words and Expressions

We’ll expand our vocabulary in this article with foreign words and expressions. let’s begin

• The English language borrows from over 20 languages. The following is a list of languages in decreasing order of influence:
• Latin, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Scandinavian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Russian, Māori, Hindi, Hebrew, Persian, Malay, Urdu, Irish, Afrikaans, Yiddish, Chinese, Turkish, Norwegian, Zulu, and Swahili
• Some words and phrases have the same meaning as their original languages, while others are derivations of words and phrases from the original language.
• Words and phrases used exactly in the same form as the original language are in italics.

Latin Expressions

Latin phrase	Meaning
ad hoc	Formed or done for a particular purpose only
bona fide	Genuine; real
caveat emptor	Let the buyer beware
circa; c.	Around; approximately
de facto	In fact, in reality
ergo	Therefore
et cetera; etc	And the rest, and so on, and more
ex gratia	From kindness or grace (without recognizing any liability or a legal obligation)
in situ	In its original place
in vitro	(In biology) taking place outside a living organism (for example, in a test tube)
per	For each
per annum	For each year
per capita	For each person
per se	In itself/themselves; intrinsically
post-mortem	Examination of a body after death; autopsy
pro rata	Proportional; proportionally
quid pro quo	Favor or advantage given or expected in return for something

French Expressions

French phrase	Meaning
à la carte	(In a restaurant) on the menu, with a price for each dish [literally, “according to the (menu) card”]
aide-de-camp	A military officer who acts as a confidential assistant to a senior officer
aide-mémoire	Something that helps the memory (e.g., a notebook)
Au contraire!	On the contrary! (Exclamation, often humorous)
au fait	Having a good knowledge/understanding of something [literally, to the fact]
au pair, au pairs	A young foreign person, usually female, who helps in the house in exchange for accommodation
Au revoir!	Goodbye! [literally, “until the seeing again”]
Bon appétit!	Enjoy the meal! [literally “good appetite”]
Bon voyage!	Have a good trip!
café au lait	Coffee with milk; white coffee

German Expressions

German phrase	Meaning
Kindergarten	Garden for children (school for young children)
Iceberg	Mountain of ice
Wunderkind	Wonder child
Angst	Fear
Uber	Above and beyond
Zeitgeist	Spirit of time
Poltergeist	Rumbling ghost
Doppelganger	Look-alike
Neanderthal	Belonging to the Neander Valley
Strudel	Swirl

Italian Expressions

Italian phrase	Meaning
Volcano	A mountain or hill with a crater that erupts lava, rock fragments, hot vapor
Influenza	A viral and contagious infection; flu
Fiasco	A complete failure
Finale	The last part of an event
Scenario	A certain situation, the outline of a plot, and scenes of a novel or film
Solo	Done alone or by one person
Opera	A dramatic performance with multiple acts set to music; the building where opera is performed; a genre of music
Spaghetti	An Italian dish that contains noodles, pasta, and sauce
Pizza	An Italian flatbread topped with tomatoes, cheese, and other ingredients
Motto	A phrase that encapsulates the beliefs or ideals of an individual, family, or institution; a recurring phrase with a symbolic significance in music

Spanish Expressions

Spanish phrase	Meaning
Ranch	A very small, rural community
Stampede	A sudden panicked rush of a number of horses, cattle, or other animals, or even people
Breeze	Cold, North-east winds
Tornado	Thunderstorm
Mosquito	Little fly
Mustang	Untamed
Bodega	Cellar
Patio	Inner courtyard
Tango	To dance
Vigilante	Watchman
Platinum	Little silver