Loan Words in the English Language

Saturday, 7 March 2026

Is 'dirigible' English, or is it actually French?

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

dirigible [adjective] [1581]

Capable of being steered

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note: An airship dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat aircraft that can navigate through the air flying under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air to achieve the lift needed to stay airborne.
Etymology: Latin 'dirigere'

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When you hear 'sudoku' are you hearing English or Japanese?

'Sudoku' is a word borrowed from Japanese 'sudoku'. The word entered the English language some time around 2004.

sudoku [noun] [2004]

A puzzle in which several numbers are to be filled into a 9x9 grid of squares so that every row, every column, and ever...

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Etymology: Japanese 'sūdoku' short for 'sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru' "the numerals must remain single" (i.e., the digits can occur only once)

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Do you speak a little Greek when you say 'etymology'?

'Etymology' is a word borrowed from Greek 'etumologia'. The word entered the English language some time around the 14th century.

etymology [noun] [14th century]

the history of a linguistic form (as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in...
a branch of linguistics concerned with

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note: Late Middle English: from Old French ethimologie via Latin from Greek etumologia from etumologos ‘student of etymology’ from etumon neuter singular of etumos ‘true’.
Etymology: Middle English 'ethimologie' from Anglo-French, from Latin 'etymologia' from Greek, from 'etymon' + '-logia' -logy

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When you hear 'amygdala' are you hearing English or Greek?

'Amygdala' is a word borrowed from Greek 'amugdalē'. The word entered the English language some time around 1845.

amygdala [noun] [1845]

The one of the four basal ganglia in each cerebral hemisphere that is part of the limbic system and consists of an almo...

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Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, almond, from Greek 'amygdalē'

See more loan words from 1800s.

Friday, 6 March 2026

Did you know that 'mustard' is actually French?

'Mustard' is a word borrowed from French 'moustarde'. The word entered the English language some time around the 13th century.

mustard [noun] [13th century]

a pungent yellow powder of the seeds of any of several common Brassica hirta, B. nigra, ( or ) used as a condiment or i...
zest
any of several herbs (genus Brassica of the family Cruciferae syn. Brassicaceae, the mustard family) with lobed leaves,...
a dark to moderate yellow

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note: The word mustard originates from the Latin term *mustum ardens* translating to burning must. This refers to the Roman practice of mixing ground mustard seeds with must (unfermented fresh grape juice) to create a pungent paste. The term passed through Old French (moustarde) before entering Middle English in the 13th century.
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French 'mustarde' from 'must' must, from Latin 'mustum'

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Wednesday, 4 March 2026

Did you know that 'kvass' is actually Russian?

'Kvass' is a word borrowed from Russian 'kvas'. The word entered the English language some time around 1553.

kvass [noun] [circa 1553]

A slightly alcoholic beverage of eastern Europe made from fermented mixed cereals and often flavored

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note: Kvass (pronounced kvahs) is a traditional Slavic fermented low-alcohol beverage made from rye bread. The word comes from the Old East Slavic *kvasŭ (leaven fermented drink) rooted in the Proto-Slavic *kvasu which means sour or leaven. It is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kwh₂et- (to become sour or to ferment).
Etymology: Russian 'kvas'

See more loan words from 1500s.

The word 'persimmon' is a loan word from Amerindian 'pasiminan'

'Persimmon' is a word borrowed from Amerindian 'pasiminan'. The word entered the English language some time around 1612.

persimmon [noun] [1612]

any of a genus (Diospyros) of trees of the ebony family with hard fine wood, oblong leaves, and small bell-shaped flo...
an eastern United States tree D. kaki (D. virginiana) or a Japanese tree ()
the usually orange several-seeded globular berry of a persimmon that is edible when fully ripe but usually extremely as...

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Etymology: Virginia Algonquian 'pessemmin'

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Did you know that 'macaronic' is actually Italian?

'Macaronic' is a word borrowed from Italian 'macaroni.'. The word entered the English language some time around 1638.

macaronic [adjective] [1638]

characterized by a mixture of vernacular words with Latin words or with non-Latin words having Latin endings
characterized by a mixture of two languages

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Etymology: New Latin 'macaronicus' from Italian dialect 'maccarone' macaroni

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How the Greek language influenced English with the word 'amphibian'

'Amphibian' is a word borrowed from Greek 'amphibios'. The word entered the English language some time around 1835.

amphibian [noun] [1835]

an organism
any of a class (Amphibia) of cold-blooded vertebrates (as frogs, toads, or salamanders) intermediate in many characters...
an amphibious vehicle
an airplane designed to take off from and land on either land or water

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note: In the sense ‘having two modes of existence or of doubtful nature': amphi (both) + bios (life).
Etymology: Ultimately from Greek 'amphibion' amphibious being, from neuter of 'amphibios'

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Is 'dreggs' English, or is it actually Swedish?

'Dreggs' is a word borrowed from Swedish 'drägg'.

dreggs

(details not available)

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note: Middle English: probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Swedish drägg (plural).
Etymology: -

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Is 'escutcheon' English, or is it actually Latin?

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

escutcheon [noun] [15th century]

a defined area on which armorial bearings are displayed and which usually consists of a shield
a protective or ornamental plate or flange (as around a keyhole)
the part of a ship's stern on which the name is displayed

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