The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (50 page)

metastasis (metastasis) GREEK [mathistanai to change, to remove] noun (plural metastases, matastaseez) a change
in position, state, or form (often
referring specifically to the spread of
cancer and other diseases within the
body).

metathesis (metathasas) GREEK
[metatithenai to transpose] noun (plural
metatheses, mctathaseez) a change
of condition or place; may also refer
to the transposition of letters, syllables, or sounds in a word or to a
chemical reaction involving the interchange of atoms between two different molecules.

Methuselah (mathoozala) , HEBREW
[after Methuselah, the biblical patriarch and ancestor of Noah who lived
in the age of 969] noun a very old
man: "He may get the job, although critics
consider him a bit of a Methuselah."Also,
a large wine bottle with a capacity of
6 liters (6.5 quarts).

metier (metyay, mctecay), metier
FRENCH [trade, occupation, from
Latin ministerium work, ministry] noun
trade, vocation, profession, forte: "Providing helpful advice is his metier; actually
doing something is generally beyond his
capabilities."

metro (metro), Metro FRENCH [from
metro, abbreviated form of chemin de
fer metropolitain metropolitan railroad]
noun a subway or underground railroad (sometimes referring specifically
to the Paris subway system): "Commuters were unable to get into the metro
because of smoke from the fire."

metropolis (matOalis) GREEK
[mother city, from meter mother and
polis city] noun (plural metropolises
or metropoles, matropalcez) a city
or large urban area, often the chief
city or capital of a state, province,
or country: "But, in the first place, New
York was a metropolis, and perfectly aware
that in metropolises it was 'not the thing'
to arrive early at the opera..." (Edith
Wharton, The Age of Innocence, 1920).

meum et tuum (mayam et tooam)
LATIN [mine and yours] noun phrase
legal term for the principle of private
property.

meuniere (me(r)ncr) [abbreviated
form of a la meuniere in the manner of a
miller's wife] adjective rolled in flour
and sauteed in butter (usually referring
to fish recipes): ... sole meuniere."

meze (mazes, mazay) TURKISH [appetizer, from Persian maza to relish] noun
(plural meze or mezes) (in Eastern
Mediterranean cuisine) a selection of
hot and cold bite-size savory dishes
served as an appetizer before a meal
or as an accompaniment to an alcoholic drink such as raki: "The mezes
included stuffed vegetables and pastries,
chicken and fish goujons, salads, and
dips"

mezzanine (mezaneen, mezaneen)
FRENCH [mid-story, from Italian
mezzanino, ultimately from Latin
medianus middle, median] noun an
intermediate story of a building
connecting two larger stories; may
also refer to the lowest of the balconies in a theater: "... water closet
on mezzanine provided with opaque
singlepane oblong window, tipup seat,
bracket lamp, brass tiered brace, armrests, footstool and artistic oleograph on
inner face of door..." (James Joyce,
Ulysses, 1922). -adjective of or relating to such an intermediate story or
balcony.

mezza voce (metsah vochay) ITALIAN
[half voice] adverb phrase (in music)
in a moderate tone, restrained, at
medium volume. 'adjective phrase (in
music) in a moderate tone, restrained,
at medium volume.

mezzo forte (metso fortay, medso
fortee) ITALIAN [half strong] adverb
phrase (in music) moderately loudly.

-adjective phrase (in music) moderately loud.

mezzo piano (metso peeahno, medso
peeahno) ITALIAN [half soft] adverb
phrase (in music) moderately softly.
'adjective phrase (in music) moderately soft.

mezzo-soprano (metso-sdpahno) ITALIAN [middle soprano, from mezzo
half and soprano soprano] noun (plural
mezzo-sopranos or mezzo-soprani,
metso-saprahnee) a female singer
or other woman with a voice between
that of soprano and contralto. -adjective of or relating to such a voice.

miasma (mlazma, meeazmh) GREEK
[pollution, defilement, from miainein to pollute] noun (plural miasmas
or miasmata, mlazmata, meeazmata)
a vaporous exhalation, emanation,
influence, or atmosphere, typically
noxious, polluting, or corrupting in
character: "The historic atmosphere was
there, certainly; but the historic atmosphere, scientfcally considered, was no
better than a villainous miasma" (Henry
James, Daisy Miller, 1879).

mi casa es su casa (mee kahsa es Soo
kahsa) SPANISH [my house is your
house] interjection phrase make yourself at home!, an expression of welcome.

micro (mikro) GREEK [from mikros
small] adjective microscopic, very
small.

micro- (rnikro) GREEK [small] prefix small, e.g., microchip, microclimate.

mignon (meenyon) FRENCH [small
and sweet] adjective small and
delicately pretty. -adjective, feminine
mignonne.

migraine (migrayn) FRENCH [sick
headache, from Latin hemicrania pain
in one side of the head, from Greek
hemikrania, from hemi half and kranion
cranium] noun a medical condition
in which sufferers are afflicted by
severe, throbbing headaches and possibly nausea and vomiting: "She decided
to stay at home because she felt a migraine
coming on."

mikado (mikahdo) JAPANESE [honorable gate] noun an emperor of Japan:
"7t is situated in the bay of Yeddo, and at but
a short distance from that second capital of
the Japanese Empire, and the residence of the
Tycoon, the civil Emperor, before the Mikado,
the spiritual Emperor, absorbed his fce in
his own." (Jules Verne, Around the World in
80 Days, 1873).

miles gloriosus (meelayz gloreeosis)
LATIN [boastful soldier] noun phrase
(plural milites gloriosi, meelatayz
gloreesce) a boastful soldier (formerly a stock character of stage comedy).

milieu (meel ., miles) FRENCH
[midst, from Old French mi middle
and lieu place] noun (plural milieus or

milieux, meely, milyo,
meclb, wilyooz) the background, setting,
or environment for an event or development; may also refer to a particular
social class or group of people sharing similar ideas and outlook: "He felt
secure within his own social milieu."

militia (malisha) LATIN [military service, the military] noun a body of
civilians who receive military training and can be called up to assist
the regular armed forces in times of
emergency, the reserves, or national
guard: "The militia was called out to help
ward off the possibility of border incursions."Also refers to a self-styled paramilitary force that engages in rebel or
terror activities.

mille-feuille (meel-foi) FRENCH [a
thousand leaves] noun (in French
cuisine) a dish comprising layers of
puff pastry and filling (of jam, cream,
salmon, or other ingredients).

millefleur (meelfler, meelfloor), millefleurs FRENCH [from mille feurs a
thousand flowers] noun decorated
with a pattern of tiny flowers or
plants (usually referring to tapestry,
porcelain, or other media); may also
refer to a perfume distilled from the
blooms of a mixture of flowers.

millennium (maleneeam) LATIN [a
thousand years, from mille thousand
and annus year] noun (plural millenniums or millennia, malencea) a period of 1,000 years, or the 1,000th
anniversary of something: "No one was
really sure how to celebrate the start of the
new millennium."

milonga (malonga) TARGENTINIAN
SPANISH [from the African language
Quimbunda, plural of mulonga word
or lyric] noun an Argentinian dance
in 2/4 time, a forerunner of the tango,
or the music that accompanies it,
which was originally a solo song sung
by a gaucho; also a place or an event
where people go to dance the tango or
milonga. A practitioner of milonga is
a milonguero (male) or milonguera
(female).

mimesis (mameesbs, mimeesas) GREEK
[imitation, from mimeisthai to imitate, from mimos mime] noun (plural
mimeses, mimeeseez, mimeeseez)
imitation or mimicry.

minaret (minaret) TURKISH [minare,
from Arabic manarah lighthouse] noun
a tall tower of a mosque from the balcony of which the faithful are called to
prayer in the Islamic world: "The calls
of the muezzin from the minaret echoed
round the whole quarter."

minestrone (minastronee, minastron)
ITALIAN [from minestrare to serve, dish
up, ultimately from Latin minister servant] noun a thick soup made with
vegetables, beans, pasta, and herbs:
"The waiter sprinkled Parmesan cheese on
the minestrone."

minimum (minimam) LATIN [neuter
of minimus smallest] noun (plural
minimums or minima, minima) the
smallest value, amount, or quality, or
the lowest point or lowest limit possible. -adjective lowest, least, smallest: "He failed to make the minimum
weight for the heavyweight division."

minnesinger (minasingar) GERMAN
[love singer] noun a German lyric
poet and singer, usually of aristocratic
origin, who performed love songs
as part of a guild in the 12th-14th
centuries.

minuscule (minaskyool, minaskyool)
FRENCH [minute, tiny, from Latin
minusculus rather small ] adjective very
small, minute, insignificant: "He
felt minuscule under the shadow of the
Himalayas."

minutia (manooshcca, minooshcca)
LATIN [trifles, details, from minutia smallness] noun (plural minutiae,
manooshiee, minooshcei) minor or
trivial detail or matter.

minyan (minyan) HEBREW [number,
count] noun (plural minyans or minyanim, minyaneem) a quorum of 10
adults required for communal worship
by Jewish tradition.

mir (meer) RUSSIAN [community]
noun a peasant village commune in
prerevolutionary Russia.

mirabile dictu (marahbalee diktoo)
LATIN [wonderful in the saying] interjection wonderful to relate, strange
to say: "This year mirabile dictu!
produced but one novel; and it is not
impossible that the author had taken
deeply into his mind, though he would
not immediately act upon them, certain
hints about the danger of 'overcropping,'
which have been alluded to as dropping
from his publishers in 1823" (J. G.
Lockhart, The Life of Sir Walter Scott,
1837-38).

mirage (mirahzh) FRENCH [illusion,
from miter to look at, ultimately from
Latin mirare to wonder at] noun an
optical illusion often taking the
appearance of a body of water in the
distance and, by extension, anything
illusory and unattainable: "As usual,
his hopes of wealth and a big house by
the sea had turned out to be nothing more
than a mirage."

mis See MISERERE.

miscellanea (misalneea, misalnya)
LATIN [mixed things, from the neuter
plural of miscellaneus, from miscellus
mixed] plural noun a miscellany of
diverse objects, writings, or articles:
"The latest volume of the great man's writings include some of his last poems, among
other miscellanea."

mise en place (meez on pidS) FRENCH
[putting in place] noun phrase the
preparation of ingredients, flatware,

and cookware before the beginning of
service: "Having the mise en place prepared in advance enables the chef to cook
without interruptions."

mise-en-scene (meez-on-sen, meezon-S), mise en scene FRENCH
[putting in scene] noun phrase (plural
mise-en-scenes) a setting or the
scenery for a theatrical production
or, more generally, the context or
milieu for an event or occurrence:
"As a director he had definite ideas
about the mise-en-scene he wanted for the
production."

miserere (mizareeree, mizarairee,
mizdreree) LATIN [have pity, from
misereri to be merciful, from miser
wretched] noun the 50 Psalm in
the Vulgate, or a musical setting of it,
or a cry for mercy, a general lament
or complaint: "He then, in the plainest
terms, advised me to have recourse to the
discipline of flagellation, every Friday,
using the cat-o'-nine-tails on my bare
shoulders for the length of time that it
would take to repeat a Miserere" (Wilkie
Collins, A Fair Penitent, 1857). ^ abbreviated form mis.

misericordia (mazerakordeea, maserakordeea) LATIN [pity, mercy, from
misericors merciful] noun mercy,
compassion: "The women, screaming
Misericordia!' ran right into the room,
and, falling on their knees against the
walls, began to cross themselves convulsively"
(Joseph Conrad, Nostromo, 1904).

misogyny (mesojanee) GREEK [from
miscin to hate and gyne woman]
noun hatred of women: "As he grew
older he grew more and more decided in his
misogyny."

mistral (mistral, mistrahl) FRENCH
[master wind, from Provencal mistral masterful, ultimately from Latin
magistralis of a teacher] noun a cold,
dry, northerly wind that blows across
southern France during the winter
season: "There were few tourists on the
seafront now that the mistral had started
to blow."

Mile. See MADEMOISELLE.

Mme. See MADAME.

moccasin (mokasan) ALGONQUTAN
[from mockasin] noun a soft leather
shoe or boot with no heel of a type
traditionally worn by Native Americans and trappers: "The infant padded
about the house in soft-soled fur-lined
moccasins."

moderato (modaahto) ITALIAN [from
Latin moderatus] adverb (in music) at
a moderate pace: "Allegro!' he called
out to the postilions at every ascent. 'Moderato!' he cried as they descended" (Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo,
1844-45). 'adjective (in music) moderate, at a moderate pace.

modicum (modikam) LATIN [a moderate amount, neuter of modicus mod erate, from modus mode, measure]
noun a small or moderate portion or
quantity, a limited amount: "She hoped
to emerge from the affair with at least a
modicum of self-respect."

modiste (modeest) FRENCH [from
mode mode, style] noun a person who
makes and sells fashionable clothing,
hats, and other items: "Ah, but you see
some of these sensible inventions come from
the brain of a fashionable modiste, who
will make you more lovely, or what you
value more- `stylish' outside and comfortable within" (Louisa May Alcott, Eight
Cousins, 1875).