The Latin roots of the word 'mansion'

'Mansion' is a word borrowed from Latin 'mansio'. The word entered the English language some time around the 14th century.

mansion [noun] [14th century]

• the act of remaining or dwelling
• stay
• dwelling
• manor house
• a large imposing residence

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Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin 'mansion-, mansio' from 'manēre' to remain, dwell; akin to Greek 'menein' to remain

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How the Latin language influenced English with the word 'poultice'

'Poultice' is a word borrowed from Latin 'pultes'. The word entered the English language some time around the 15th century.

poultice [noun] [15th century]

A soft usually heated and sometimes medicated mass spread on cloth and applied to sores or other lesions

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Etymology: Middle English 'pultes' from Medieval Latin, literally, pap, from Latin, plural of 'pult-, puls' porridge

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Did you know that 'trombone' is actually Italian?

'Trombone' is a word borrowed from Italian 'tromba'. The word entered the English language some time around 1724.

trombone [noun] [circa 1724]

A brass instrument consisting of a long cylindrical metal tube with two turns and having a movable slide or valves for ...

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Etymology: Italian, augmentative of 'tromba' trumpet, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German 'trumba, trumpa' trumpet

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The French roots of the word 'parakeet'

'Parakeet' is a word borrowed from French 'peroquet'. The word entered the English language some time around 1581.

parakeet [noun] [1581]

Any of numerous usually small slender parrots with a long graduated tail

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note: Comes from a series of borrowed words from Spanish French and Italian with a Middle French origin. The French word paroquet is likely a diminutive of the name Pierre (Peter) possibly influenced by the Italian parrocchetto or Spanish periquito which literally mean little priest or little parrot.
Etymology: Spanish & Middle French; Spanish 'periquito' from Middle French 'perroquet' parrot

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Do you speak a little Latin when you say 'armature'?

'Armature' is a word borrowed from Latin 'armare'. The word entered the English language some time around the 15th century.

armature [noun] [15th century]

• an organ or structure (as teeth or thorns) for offense or defense
• a piece of soft iron or steel that connects the poles of a magnet or of adjacent magnets
• a usually rotating part of an electric machine (as a generator or motor) which consists essentially of coils of wire ar...
• the movable part of an electromagnetic device (as a loudspeaker)

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note: Late Middle English: from French from Latin armatura ‘armour’ from armare ‘to arm’. The original sense was ‘armour’ hence ‘protective covering’ (armature early 18th century) later ‘keeper of a magnet’ source of armature (mid 19th century).
Etymology: Middle English, armor, from Latin 'armatura' armor, equipment, from 'armatus'

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Is 'landscape' English, or is it actually Dutch?

'Landscape' is a word borrowed from Dutch 'landschap'. The word entered the English language some time around 1598.

landscape [noun] [1598]

• a picture representing a view of natural inland scenery
• the art of depicting such scenery
• the of a region in the aggregate
• a portion of territory that can be viewed at one time from one place

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note: The word landscape comes from the Dutch landschap meaning region or tract of land borrowed into English around 1600 as an art term for a painting of scenery derived from land (land) and -schap (-ship meaning condition/shape). Early English forms like landskip existed but the Dutch artistic sense referring to a picture of natural views popularized the word eventually applying to actual views and areas.
Etymology: Dutch 'landschap' from 'land' + '-schap' -ship

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The Avestan origins of the word 'paradise'

'Paradise' is a word borrowed from Avestan 'pairidaēza'. The word entered the English language some time around the 12th century.

paradise [noun] [12th century]

• eden
• an intermediate place or state where the souls of the righteous await resurrection and the final judgment
• heaven
• a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight

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Etymology: Middle English 'paradis' from Anglo-French, from Late Latin 'paradisus' from Greek 'paradeisos' literally, enclosed park, of Iranian origin; akin to Avestan 'pairi-daēza-' enclosure; akin to Greek 'peri' around and to Greek 'teichos' wall

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The Greek roots of the word 'scarab'

'Scarab' is a word borrowed from Greek 'scarabeios'. The word entered the English language some time around 1579.

scarab [noun] [1579]

• any of a family (Scarabaeidae) of stout-bodied beetles (as a dung beetle) with lamellate or fan-shaped antennae
• a stone or faience beetle used in ancient Egypt as a talisman, ornament, and a symbol of resurrection

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Etymology: Middle French 'scarabee' from Latin 'scarabaeus'

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When you say 'goo' are you speaking Persian?

'Goo' is a word borrowed from Persian 'bulġūr'. The word entered the English language some time around 1900.

goo [noun] [1900]

• a viscid or sticky substance
• sentimental tripe

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note: Early 20th century (originally US): perhaps from burgoo a nautical slang term for porridge based on Persian bulġūr ‘bruised grain’.
Etymology: Perhaps short for 'burgoo'

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Do you speak a little French when you say 'trocar'?

'Trocar' is a word borrowed from French 'trois carre'. The word entered the English language some time around 1706.

trocar [noun] [circa 1706]

A sharp-pointed surgical instrument fitted with a cannula and used especially to insert the cannula into a body cavity ...

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Etymology: French 'trocart' alteration of 'trois-quart' from 'trois' three + 'carre' edge

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The Dutch origins of the word 'geek'

'Geek' is a word borrowed from Dutch 'gekk'. The word entered the English language some time around 1914.

geek [noun] [1914]

• a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
• a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
• an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity

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note: Likely comes from Germanic words like the Dutch gekk or Middle Low German geck both meaning fool.
Etymology: Probably from English dialect 'geek, geck' fool, from Low German 'geck' from Middle Low German

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When you hear 'crust' are you hearing English or Latin?

'Crust' is a word borrowed from Latin 'crusta'. The word entered the English language some time around the 14th century.

crust [noun] [14th century]

• the hardened exterior or surface part of bread
• a piece of this or of bread grown dry or hard
• the pastry cover of a pie
• a hard or brittle external coat or covering
• as

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note: From Latin crusta (hard coating/shell) entering English via Anglo-French/Old French crouste/cruste in the 14th century meaning the hard outer layer of bread with deeper roots in the Proto-Indo-European root *kreus- meaning to form a crust or begin to freeze linking it to words for frost and ice.
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin 'crusta;' akin to Old English 'hrūse' earth, Greek 'kryos' icy cold, 'krystallos' ice, crystal

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When you say 'chibouk' are you speaking Turkish?

'Chibouk' is a word borrowed from Turkish 'çubuk'. The word entered the English language some time around 1811.

chibouk [noun] [1811]

A long-stemmed Turkish tobacco pipe with a clay bowl

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Etymology: French 'chibouque' from Turkish 'çubuk'

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