Modern English is Not 100% English 2
Modern English is not 100% English as the title goes. Modern English has over the centuries assimilated words from many different languages.
Finnish
Sauna: a bath that uses dry heat to induce perspiration, and in which steam is produced by pouring water on heated stones
Hebrew
Kosher: adhering to the laws governing such fitness; fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or ceremonial laws
Messiah: For the Christians, this is Jesus Christ, regarded as fulfilling this promise and expectation. John 4:25, 26; In Judaism, the Mashiach (Hebrew translit) is the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people
Gauze: any thin and often transparent fabric made from any fiber in a plain or leno weave; a surgical dressing of loosely woven cotton
Amen: it is so; so be it (used after a prayer, creed, or other formal statement to express solemn ratification or agreement)
Czech
Polka: a lively dance originating in Bohemia and performed by couples
Pistol: a short firearm intended to be held and fired with one hand
Robot: a machine that resembles a human and does mechanical, routine tasks on command
Egyptian
Ivory: the hard white substance, a variety of dentin, composing the main part of the tusks of the elephant, walrus, etc
Paper: a substance made from wood pulp, rags, straw, or other fibrous material, usually in thin sheets, used to bear writing or printing, for wrapping things, etc.
Ammonia: a colorless, pungent, suffocating, highly water-soluble, gaseous compound, NH3, usually produced by the direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gases: used chiefly for refrigeration and in the manufacture of commercial chemicals and laboratory reagents
Ebony: tropical tree of southern Asia having hard dark-colored heartwood used in cabinetwork; a deep, lustrous black
Catalan
Paella: a Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings
Capsize: to turn bottom up; overturn
Croatian
Cravat: a cloth, often made of or trimmed with lace, worn about the neck by men esp. in the 17th century
Arabic
Alcohol: whiskey, gin, vodka, or any other intoxicating liquor containing this liquid
Monsoon: the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter
Zero: the figure or symbol 0, which in the Arabic notation for numbers stands for the absence of quantity; cipher
Hungarian
Paprika: a red, powdery condiment derived from dried, ripe sweet peppers
Coach: a large, horse-drawn, four-wheeled carriage, usually enclosed
Goulash: a stew of beef or veal and vegetables, seasoned mainly with paprika
Hindi
Shampoo: any of various liquid or cream preparations of soap or detergent used to wash the hair and scalp
Bangle: a rigid bracelet or anklet, especially one with no clasp
Jungle: a wild land overgrown with dense vegetation, often nearly impenetrable, esp. tropical vegetation or a tropical rain forest
Russian
Vodka: a colorless, distilled spirit, originally made in Russia
Mammoth: any large, elephant-like mammal of the extinct genus Mammuthus, from the Pleistocene Epoch, having hairy skin and ridged molar teeth
Portuguese
Flamingo: any of several aquatic birds of the family Phoenicopteridae, having very long legs and neck, webbed feet, and a bill bent downward at the tip, and pinkish to scarlet plumage
Molasses: thick syrup produced during the refining of sugar or from sorghum, varying from light to dark brown in color
Breeze: a wind or current of air, esp. a light or moderate one
Marmalade: a jellylike preserve in which small pieces of fruit and fruit rind, as of oranges or lemons, are suspended
Welsh
Maggot: a soft-bodied, legless larva of certain flies
Penguin: any of several flightless, aquatic birds of the family Spheniscidae, of the Southern Hemisphere, having webbed feet and wings reduced to flippers
Italian
Fortissimo: a musical direction meaning “to be performed very loudly”
Opera: a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
Bankrupt: a person who upon his or her own petition or that of his or her creditors is adjudged insolvent by a court and whose property is administered for and divided among his or her creditors under a bankruptcy law
Umbrella: a device for protection from the weather consisting of a collapsible, usually circular canopy mounted on a central rod
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Post CommentJudy Sheldon
On June 1, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Fascinating! I knew that English had many derivatives, much like America.
Lucy Lockett
On June 1, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Languages are changing for many cultures, to be understood is to be adaptable.
B10S
On June 2, 2008 at 12:14 am
Adaptation at its finest.
Dee Huff
On June 2, 2008 at 7:07 am
And I thought I was speaking English!