Words of Foreign Language

Definition of FOREIGN WORD:

A word of a foreign language or A word taken from another language, pronounced and written as alien, and in English usually printed in italics.

Foreign words have different origins. Here, at Competition Zenith, we provide you the Top Ten Commonly Used Foreign words from several origins.

Arabian Origin Foreign words:

Foreign words	Meaning
Algebra	the part of mathematics in which letters and other general symbols are used to represent numbers and quantities in formulae and equations
Assassin	a person who murders an important person for political or religious reasons.
Harem	the separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants.
Mattress	a fabric case filled with soft, firm, or springy material, used for sleeping on.
Safari	an expedition to observe or hunt animals in their natural habitat
Sofa	a long upholstered seat with a back and arms
Sultan	a Muslim sovereign
Sherbet	a cooling drink of sweet diluted fruit juices
Tariff	a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports
Zero	no quantity or number; nought

African Origin Foreign Words:

Foreign words	Meanings
Banana	a long curved fruit which grows in clusters and has soft pulpy flesh and yellow skin when ripe.
Chimpanzee	a great ape with large ears
Cola	a brown carbonated drink that is flavoured with an extract of cola nuts
Dengue	a debilitating viral diseasetransmitted by mosquitoes
Jamboree	a large celebration or party
Jumbo	a very large person or thing.
Mumbo Jumbo	intended to cause confusion
Voodoo	a black religious cult practise
Zebra	an African wild horse with black-and-white stripes and an erect mane
Zombie	a corpse said to be revived by witchcraft

Chinese Origin Foreign words:

Foreign words	Meaning
Chi	aliveness
Chow	Fried
Feng Shui	a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy
Gung Ho	unthinkingly enthusiastic and eager
Ketchup	a spicy sauce made chiefly from tomatoes and vinegar
Kung Fu	a primarily unarmed Chinese martial art
Lychee	a small rounded fruit with sweet white scented flesh
Silk	a fine, strong, soft lustrous fibre produced by silkworms
Tea	a hot drink made by infusing the dried crushed leaves of the tea plant in boiling water.
Tofu	a soft white substance made from mashed soya beans

German Origin Foreign words:

Foreign Word	Meaning
Blitz	an intensive or sudden military attack.
Frankfurter	a seasoned smoked sausage made of beef and pork
Hamburger	a flat round cake of minced beef
Kaput	broken and useless
Kitsch	poor but appreciable
Kindergarten	a nursery school
Lager	a kind of effervescent beer which is light in colour and body
Pilsner	a lager beer with a strong hop flavour
Wanderlust	Wanderlust
Zeitgeist	the defining spirit or mood of a particular period

Indian Origin Foreign Words:

Foreign Word	Meaning
Bungalow	a large detached house with more than one storey
Cheetah	a large slender spotted cat found in Africa and parts of Asia.
Dacoit	a member of a band of armed robbers
Guru	an influential teacher or popular expert
Jungle	an area of land overgrown with dense forest
Khaki	a dull greenish or brownish-yellow colour.
Loot	private property taken from an enemy in war.
Pundit	an expert in a particular subject or field
Pyjama	a loose-fitting jacket and trousers for sleeping in.
Thug	a violent person, especially a criminal.

Spanish Origin Foreign words:

Foreign Word	Meaning
Adios	goodbye
Cigar	a cylinder of tobacco rolled in tobacco leaves for smoking
Guerrilla	referring to actions or activities performed in an impromptu way
Hurricane	a storm with a violent wind
Lolita	a sexually precocious young girl
Macho	masculine in an overly assertive way
Ranch	a large farm
Siesta	an afternoon rest or nap

Common Foreign Phrases Used:

Foreign Phrase	Meaning with Example
a la carte [French]	with a separate price for each item, printed on the menu; basically it is used to refer to the menu, as opposed to, say, a buffet ·        Can we eat a la carte? ·        Can we order from the a la carte menu?
alfresco [Italian]	open air; outdoors ·        We’ve been invited to an alfresco dinner at the Mughal Gardens. ·        Are we dining alfresco tonight?
alma mater [Latin]	any institution one has graduated from; in other words, one’s old school or university ·        I haven’t returned to my alma mater since the day I graduated.
avant-garde [French]	an artist or group associated with the use of new techniques in their field ·        Our friend is an avant-garde; we can’t really appreciate his work because it is too modern for us.
Blitzkrieg [German]	rapid, intensive attack, originally used to describe sudden military offensives ·        MS Dhoni’s blitzkrieg at the end of yesterday’s match saved it for India.
bona fide [Latin]	authentic, genuine, in good faith ·        Is the painting by MF Hussain on your wall bona fide? ·        He is not a dishonest salesman; his offer is bona fide.
c’est la vie [French]	that’s life; such is life ·        I don’t allow myself to get depressed; I just say ‘C’est la vie!’ and move on.
curriculum vitae (CV) [Latin]	resume, i.e., outline of one’s educational and professional qualifications, made for job applications ·        Have you got your CV ready for the interview tomorrow?
de facto [Latin]	in reality, actually ·        While the President may be referred to as the Head of the State, the de facto head in India, as everyone knows, is the Prime Minister.
déjà vu [French]	the sensation of having previously experienced something that one is experiencing ·        I experienced déjà vu when I entered the kitchen, even though I was fully aware that I had never been in that house before.
en route [French]	on the way ·        I’ve just left, I’m en route for the auditorium.
ergo [Latin]	therefore; consequently ·        Neither side was willing to play in such terrible conditions; ergo, there would no match.
faux pas [French]	social blunder ·        I committed a faux pas the other day when I went to a formal dinner dressed up for a costume party.
fiasco [Italian]	total failure ·        The party was a fiasco; the lights went out 10 minutes into the affair, and three people got injured trying to feel their way around in the dark.
guerrilla [Spanish]	pertaining to guerrillas or their methods of warfare ·        The troops, bested in the open, fled to the forests, resorting to guerrilla tactics.
joie de vivre [French]	joy in living ·        It is rare that one is able to experience true joie de vivre once one is past one’s youth.
klutz [Yiddish]	a clumsy person ·        I behaved like a klutz at the party, tripping and spilling my drinks all over the place.
lingua franca [Italian]	common language ·        English is the lingua franca of the world by virtue of the fact that is spoken in the largest number of countries.
nee [French]	born; used for the maiden name of a married woman ·        Aishwarya Bacchan nee Rai
par excellence [French]	the best at something ·        It was clear from the beginning that Sachin Tendulkar was a batsman par excellence.
per capita [Latin]	per person ·        The per capita income of the country was very high.
per se [Latin]	in itself ·        The statement was interesting per se; it did not make much sense in context, however.
prima donna [Italian]	temperamental entertainer ·        Be on your best behaviour around her; she’s known to be quite the prima donna.
Realpolitik [German]	opportunistic politics that concerns itself with ground realities, with self-advancement as the sole driving principle ·        Considerations of realpolitik drove me to campaign relentlessly, pandering to the masses to garner votes.
status quo [Latin]	the existing state of things ·        The point of having her elected was for the reigning party to perpetuate the status quo.
tabula rasa [Latin]	blank slate ·        A child’s mind is like tabula rasa; it is very important to ensure that it is not exposed to harmful influences.
terra firma [Latin]	hard, firm ground ·        I was very scared the first time I travelled in an airplane; I drew my first breath of relief when we landed back on terra firma.
tete-a-tete [French]	a private, intimate conversation ·        I managed to sneak a tete-a-tete with him during the trip about his daughter’s nightly wanderings.
vis-à-vis [French]	face-to-face ·        They sat vis-à-vis across the table.
Zeitgeist [German]	the intellectual outlook or spirit characteristic of a particular time period or generation ·        The zeitgeist today seems to hint towards a Leftist overthrow of government.

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