Language |
English |
Original word |
Original meaning |
Further etymology or notes |
Indoeuropean |
Germanic |
West Germanic |
Afrikaans |
trek |
trek |
A journey |
Dutch trek “journey, migration” |
DutchNederlands
|
boss |
baas |
” |
Mid. Dutch baes “master” |
Old EnglishÆnglisc
|
weird |
wyrd |
Fate, destiny |
Proto-Indoeuropean *wert- “to turn, to wind” |
GermanDeutsch
|
schadenfreude |
Schadenfreude |
” (Enjoyment from another’s misfortune) |
Schaden “harm” + Freude “joy” |
Yiddishיידיש Yidish
|
klutz |
קלאָץ klots |
A wooden beam |
Proto–West Germanic *klott, whence English clod
|
Nordic |
DanishDansk
|
angst |
angst |
Fear, dread, anxiety, angst |
Proto-Germanic *angustiz “narrowness, tightness, fear, anxiety”
|
FæroeseFøroyskt
|
skua |
skúgvur |
A great skua |
Old Norse skúfr “great skua” |
IcelandicÍslenska
|
geyser |
Geysir |
Name of a large geyser in southwestern Iceland |
lit. “gusher”, from geysa “to gush” |
Old
NorseNorrǿna
|
window |
vindauga |
” |
vindr “wind” + auga “eye” |
NorwegianNorsk
|
ski |
ski |
” |
Old Norse skíð “snowshoe, stick of wood” |
SwedishSvenska
|
moped |
moped |
” |
tramp-cykel med motor och pedaler “bicycle
with engine and pedals”
|
Romance |
CatalanCatalà
|
paella |
paella |
A frying pan, a paella |
Latin patella “pan” |
Old FrenchFranceis
|
air |
air |
Air, the atmosphere, a breeze, the weather |
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ āḗr air, mist, wind
|
CastillianCastellano
|
tornado |
tronada |
A thunderstorm |
tronar “to thunder” |
FrenchFrançais
|
hotel |
hôtel |
A mansion, a hotel |
Latin hospitāle “hospital, guesthouse” |
ItalianItaliano
|
balcony |
balcone |
” |
augmentative of balco “scaffold, balcony” |
LatinLatina
|
nature |
nātūra |
A nature, an essence, the natural world, a penis |
nāscor “be born” |
PortuguesePortuguês
|
dodo |
doudo |
A crazy person |
dated form of doido |
Indo–Iranian |
Hindi–Urduहिंदी اردو
|
pyjamas |
पाजामा پاجامہ pājāmā
|
Loose cotton trousers |
Persian پايجامه pâyjâma “leg garment”
|
Persianفارسی Fārsi
|
caravan |
کاروان kārvān |
A caravan, a convoy |
Mid. Persian 𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭥𐭠𐭭𐭥 kārawān “military column”
|
Punjabiਪੰਜਾਬੀ Paṁjābī
|
Sikh |
ਸਿੱਖ sikhkha |
A Sikh, the Sikh community |
Sanskrit शिक्षा śikṣā “learning, study, skill”
|
RomanyRromani ćhib
|
pal |
phral |
A brother |
Cognate with English brother, Latin frater, &c.
|
Sanskritसंस्कृतम् Saṃskṛtam
|
karma |
कर्मन् kárman |
An act, an action, a performance, karma |
|
Slavic |
CzechČeština
|
robot |
robot |
” |
robota “servitude, drudgery” |
PolishPolski
|
sabre |
szabla |
” |
via German Säbel, French sabre |
RussianРусский Russkij
|
mammoth |
мамонт mamont |
” |
Compare Proto-Uralic *mëxe “earth, land”
|
Serbo-CroatianСрпскохрватски Srpskohrvatski
|
vampire |
вампир vampir |
” |
via German Vampir, French vampire |
UkrainianУкраїнська Ukrainska
|
Cossack |
козак kozak |
” |
via Polish kozak, French cosaque |
Hellenic |
Ancient
GreekἈρχαία ἑλληνική Archǽa hellēnicḗ
|
iris |
ἶρις îris |
A rainbow |
via Latin īris |
GreekΕλληνικά Elleniká
|
malarkey |
μαλακία malakía |
Masturbation, nonsense |
|
Celtic |
IrishGaeilge
|
tory |
tóraí |
An outlaw, a pursuer |
Originally applied to Irish Catholic rebels, then to supporters of the Catholic king James
VII
|
Scots GaelicGàidhlig
|
slogan |
sluagh-ghairm |
A battle cry |
sluagh “crowd, (obsolete) army” + ghairm “cry”
|
WelshCymraeg
|
corgi |
corgi |
” |
cor “dwarf” + ci “dog” |
Other |
AlbanianShqip
|
dhampir |
dhampir |
” (A half-human, half-vampire) |
From a South Slavic language, possibly Serbo-Croatian or Bulgarianвампир
vampir
|
Sinotibetan |
Cantonese廣東話 Gwóngdūng wǎ
|
kowtow |
叩頭 kautàu |
To bow so deeply one’s forehead touches the ground |
叩 “knock” + 頭 “head”
|
Mandarin官話 Guānhuà
|
kung-fu |
功夫 gōngfu |
Skill, accomplishment |
功 “achievement” + 夫 “man”
|
Niger–Congo |
IgboÌgbò
|
okra |
ọ́kụ̀rụ̀ |
” |
Disputed, may well come from some other related language |
SwahiliKiswahili
|
safari |
safari |
A journey, a trip |
Arabic سفر safar “departure, journey, military
campaign”
|
Wolof |
banana |
banaana |
” |
Arabic بنانة banāna “fingertip, finger”
|
XhosaIsiXhosa
|
ubuntu |
ubuntu |
Ubuntu, humaneness, solidarity |
Also borrowed from Zulu ubuntu “ubuntu, solidarity, humanity” |
YorubaYorùbá
|
dashiki |
dàńṣíkí |
” |
Hausa ɗan ciki “inner garment” |
ZuluIsiZulu
|
impala |
impala |
” |
Proto-Bantu *mpàdá “impala” |
Afroasiatic |
Akkadian𒀝𒅗𒁺𒌑 Akkadû
|
lamassu |
𒀭𒆗 lamassu |
” (A sphinx-like guardian Deity of Assyrian myth) |
|
Amharicአማርኛ Amari̠nya
|
teff |
ጤፍ ṭef |
” (An edible grass native to the Horn of Africa) |
|
Arabicالعربية al-ʻArabiyyah
|
coffee |
قهوة qahwa |
Wine, coffee |
via Turkish kahve, Dutch koffie |
Aramaicארמיא Ārāmāyā
|
abbot |
אבא ʾabbā |
A father, an ancestor, a teacher, a leader, an author |
|
EgyptianRa ni Ku:mat
|
lily |
ḥaru:rat |
A flower, a blossom |
via Coptic ϩⲗⲏⲣⲓ hlēri, Ancient Greek
λείριον leírion, Latin līlium
|
Hebrewעִבְרִית Ivrit
|
hallelujah |
הללויה halleluyah |
Praise God! |
הללו “praise” + יה (personal name of God)
|
Austronesian |
Malayo-Polynesian |
Malayic |
MalayBahasa Melayu
|
orangutan |
orang utan |
” |
orang “person” + utan “forest” |
Philippine |
IlocanoIlokano
|
yo-yo |
yóyo |
” |
|
Tagalog |
boondocks |
bundok |
A mountain |
|
Oceanic |
HawaiʻianʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
|
ukulele |
ʻukulele |
” |
ʻuku “flea” + lele “to jump” |
MāoriTe reo Māori
|
kiwi |
kiwi |
A kiwi bird |
Onomatopœic |
SamoanGagana Samoa
|
tattoo |
tatau |
To fight; a tattoo |
ta “to strike, to tattoo” + tau “to fight, to strike”
|
TonganLea faka-Tonga
|
taboo |
tapu |
Prohibited, sacred |
Also found in Māori, Rapa Nui, Samoan, and Tahitian |
Dravidian |
Malayalamമലയാളം Malayāḷaṁ
|
mango |
മാങ്ങ māṅṅa |
An unripe mango fruit |
via Malay mangga, Portuguese manga |
Tamilதமிழ் Tamil̮
|
pariah |
பறையர் paṟaiyar |
Drummers; the Paraiyar, a lower caste in southern Indian society |
பறை paṟai “drum” |
Teluguతెలుగు Tĕlugu
|
bandicoot |
పందికొక్కు paṁdikŏkku |
A bandicoot rat (unrelated to actual bandicoots, who are native to New Guinea)
|
పంది paṁdi “pig” + కొక్కు
kŏkku “great rat, bandicoot”
|
Uralic |
FinnishSuomi
|
sauna |
sauna |
A sauna, (obsolete) a pit dug into snow for temporary shelter |
|
HungarianMagyar
|
coach |
kocsi |
A cart, a carriage, a car |
via German Kutsche, French coche; after the cart-buildng town
of Kocs
|
Kildin SámiКӣллт са̄мь Kiillt saam’
|
tundra |
тӯннтрэ tuunntre |
Of a mountain fell, of a fjeld |
Genitive of тӯнтар tuuntar
|
Algic |
Mi’kmaqMiʼkmawiʼsimk
|
caribou |
qalipu |
” |
Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipowa “it shovels snow” |
OjibweAnishinaabemowin
|
totem |
odoodem |
Their clan, their totem |
Singular their, that is |
PowhatanKikitowämak
|
raccoon |
arahkun |
” |
arahkuněm “he scratches with his hands” |
Hyperborean |
GreenlandicKalaallisut
|
kayak |
qajaq |
” |
via Danish kajak |
Inuktitutᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ
|
igloo |
ᐃᒡᓗ iglu |
A house, a building |
Proto–Inuit–Yupik *ǝŋlu |
IñupiaqIñupiatun
|
malamute |
malimiut |
The Malimiut people of northwestern Alaska |
Known for breeding malamutes |
Pama–Nyungan |
Arabana
|
witchetty |
witjuti |
A witchetty bush (a wattle found in the Australian outback, often home to the eponymous critter)
|
|
Dharug
|
koala |
gula |
” |
|
Guugu
Yimidhirr
|
kangaroo |
gangurru |
An eastern grey kangaroo |
|
Woiwurrung
|
yabber |
yaba |
To speak, to talk |
|
Yagara
|
yakka |
yaga |
Work |
|
Other |
Africa |
KhoekhoeKhoekhoegowab
|
gnu |
!nu |
” |
via Dutch gnoe |
The Americas |
LakotaLakȟótiyapi
|
teepee |
thípi |
A house, a building |
thípi “they live (somewhere)” |
NahuatlNāhuatl
|
axolotl |
āxōlōtl |
” |
ātl “water” + xōlōtl “naked one” |
QuechuaRunasimi
|
jerky |
ch’arki |
Dried meat, jerky; thin, miserly, stingy |
via Spanish charqui |
Taíno
|
canoe |
*kanowa |
A dugout canoe |
Proto-Arawak *kanawa |
Asia |
Japanese日本語 Nihongo
|
futon |
布団 futon |
A foldable mattress & duvet placed on the floor |
Mid. Chinese 蒲團 bu-dwan “meditation
cushion”
|
Korean한국어 Han’gugeo
|
mukbang |
먹방 meokbang |
” (A livestream where one eats and interacts with an audience) |
먹다 meokda “eat” + 방송
bangsong “broadcast”
|
TurkishTürkçe
|
yoghurt |
yoğurt |
” |
|
VietnameseTiếng Việt
|
pho |
phở |
” |
|
Leave a comment