The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (2 page)

Words and phrases that have become part of the English language cover a wide
range of fields: entertainment (anime, flamenco, soiree), food and drink (blini, frlo, goulash, latte, stollen), language and literature (litotes, portmanteau, Sturm and Drang), law
(force majeure, tort, virgo intacta), music (allegro, nocturne, tabla), politics and economics
(arbitrage, glasnost, laissez faire, ombudsman), and religion and philosophy (chi, Corpus
Christi, Diwali, Koran, Rosh Hashanah).

Headwords

Entries are arranged in strict alphabetical order. Letter-by-letter alphabetical order
is followed:

fusilli

futon

fu yung

Hyphens are ignored:

faux amis

faux-naif

faux pas

Accents are included in the headword if that is how the word is usually rendered
in English:

cafe

coup d'etat

piu

Words with the same spelling but with different etymologies are shown as separate
entries:

forte' (fortay, forti) FRENCH [fort strong] noun a person's speciality or
strong point

forte' (fortay, for i) ITALIAN [derived from Latin fortis strong] adjective in
music.. .

Variant spellings of the headword are shown:

coup d'etat (koo dayta, koo data), coup d'etat FRENCH.

coupe (koopay), coupe FRENCH...

Pronunciation

A pronunciation of the word or phrase in American English is shown for each entry,
except for cross-references.

A respelling system is used to show pronunciations:

Stress is shown by an underscore in the pronunciation:

fligelhorn (floogalhorn) GERMAN. . .

fons et origo (fonz et Orlgo) LATIN. . .

Where a word or phrase has more than one pronunciation, these are given, separated by a comma:

fondant (fondon(g), fondant) FRENCH...

In Latin words, pronunciation of the letter "v" has been shown as "v":

vexillum (vcksilam) LATIN...

It should be noted, however, that some Latin scholars prefer the alternative
pronunciation "w," as in (weksilam). The existence of this alternative should be
understood.

Etymology

The language of origin is shown in SMALL CAPITALS after the pronunciation:

jodhpurs (jodp5rS) HINDI [after jodhpur, India] plural noun a style of riding
breeches...

Kaaba (kaba) ARABIC [cubic building] noun the square stone shrine...

The meaning of the word or phrase in the original language is given after the language of origin:

menage a trois (maynahzh a twa, menahzh a twa) FRENCH [household of
three] noun phrase a domestic arrangement in which three people live together
in the same household (usually understood to imply a sexual relationship...

kiosk (keeosk) FRENCH [kiosque, derived from Turkish kiushk pavilion, ultimately from Persian kushk portico] noun a small stall, booth, pavilion...

Significant changes in spelling between the original language and English are shown
in the etymology:

feme covert (feem kovart) FRENCH [covered woman, from femme woman and
couverte covered] noun phrase...

feme sole (feem s61) FRENCH [single woman, from femme woman and seule
alone] noun phrase...

Eponymous words include the name (with birth and death dates) that they are
derived from:

jacquard (zhakard) FRENCH [after Joseph-Marie Jacquard (1752-1834),
inventor of the jacquard loom] noun a piece of fabric woven on a jacquard
loom, or the loom on which such material is made...

Toponymous words include the place-name that they are derived from:

faience (fayons) FRENCH [after Faenza, Italy] noun colorful tin-glazed
earthenware...

marathon (marathan, marathon) GREEK [after Marathon, Greece, where the
Greeks defeated the Persians in 490 B.C., the news of the victory being rushed
to Athens by a long-distance runner] noun a long-distance race run over a
course of 26 miles 385 yards...

Additional background information may be included in the etymology:

veni, vidi, vici (vaynee, veedee, veechee) LATIN [I came, I saw, I conquered,
as quoted by Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) on his victory over Pharnaces, king
of Pontus, at Zela in 47 B.C.] interjection...

Grammatical information

The part of speech is shown for all entries, indicating the grammatical behavior of
the English word or phrase:

obi (obee) JAPANESE [belt] noun a sash worn round the waist as part of traditional Japanese dress.. .

siesta (seeesta) SPANISH [from Latin sexta Nora sixth hour, noon] noun a midday
or afternoon nap or short rest.. .

Words that function as plural nouns in English are shown thus:

facetiae (faseeshii LATIN [plural of facetia a jest, witticism] plural noun witticisms or short, typically pornographic, stories...

Where the word or phrase is used in English with more than one part of speech
these are shown after a swung dash (r):

Pete (fayt), fete FRENCH [festival] noun a festival, fair, or party: "`Will you be at
Madame Rolandaky's fete?' asked Anna, to change the conversation" (Leo Tolstoy, Anna
Karenina, 1873-77). 'verb to celebrate or pay honor to.

Headwords that consist of more than one word in English are given the part of
speech "..phrase"

jolie laide (zholee la)A) FRENCH [pretty ugly] noun phrase a woman who
is deemed sexually attractive despite the fact that she is not conventionally
beautiful...

laborare est orare (laborahree est orahree) LATIN [to work is to pray] verb
phrase hard work is a form of prayer.

Grammatical information especially plurals of nouns is given whenever it is not
clear what the form might be:

falsetto (folseto) ITALIAN [diminutive of falso false] noun (plural falsetti, folsetee) a singer with a high-pitched voice, above tenor.. .

feu de joie (fo da zhwa) FRENCH [fire of joy] noun phrase (plural feux de joie)
a fusillade of guns fired in salute...

The pronunciation of plurals is shown, except where they are pronounced in the
same way as the singular form or where the pronunciation follows normal English
rules:

faux pas (fo tea) FRENCH [false step] noun phrase (plural faux pas, fo pkz) a
mistake or social blunder...

fungus (fungas) LATIN [probably derived from Greek sphoggos or spoggos,
sponge] noun (plural fungi, fungee, funjee, fungi) a class of...

sphinx (sfinks) GREEK [after the Sphinx winged monster of Greek mythology,
probably from sphiggein to draw tight] noun (plural sphinxes or sphinges, sfinjeez) a winged female monster with a woman's head and a lion's body..

septum (stPtam) LATIN [from sepire to enclose] noun (plural septa, septa) (in
anatomy) a partition that separates two chambers.. .

Definitions

The English meaning of the word or phrase of foreign origin is given:

kaffeeklatsch (kafeeklach, kafiklach) GERMAN [coffee gossip] noun informal
conversation over cups of coffee, or a meeting at which such conversation
takes place...

In some cases, developments of the meaning of the word or phrase are explained:

smorgasbord (smorgasbord) SWEDISH [smorgas sandwich and bord table] noun
a buffet including a wide variety of hot and cold dishes, such as meat and fish
dishes, pickles, cheeses, and salads, and, by extension, any mixture of diverse
elements: "The committee came up with a compromise, a smorgasbord of initiatives and
resolutions."

moire (moray, mwahray), moire (moray, mwahray, mwahr) FRENCH [moirer
to give a watered appearance to] noun a watered fabric or a fabric or other
material with a rippled or wavy texture, or appearance; can also refer to the
shimmering patterns produced when geometric patterns are superimposed on
each other slightly out of alignment.

passe-partout (paspertoo, paspahrtoo), passepartout FRENCH [pass
everywhere] noun a master key or pass that allows the holder to cross borders etc. at will; can also refer to a frame or border in which a picture may be
displayed.

Background or usage information is also sometimes included in the definition:

j'accuse (zhakooz) FRENCH [I accuse] noun phrase an allegation or charge,
typically against official injustice (in imitation of Emile Zola's famous article
beginning with the words "J'accuse" published in the newspaper L'Aurore on
January 13, 1898, and relating to the Dreyfus affair, alleging that a Jewish
army officer convicted of treason had been wrongly condemned by the
French military.)

jacquerie (zhakree, zhakaree) FRENCH [derived from the archetypal peasant
name Jacques] noun a peasant uprising, specifically the 1358 Jacquerie revolt in
northern France, or the peasantry in general...

per procurationem (per prokyoorateeonam) LATIN [by agency] adverb
phrase by proxy, on the authority of a deputy or agent. -abbreviated forms per
pro, p.p. Strictly speaking, when used in a letter the abbreviation p.p.
should precede the name of the person signing the letter. "In modern usage
the abbreviation is frequently interpreted as `for and on behalf of' and placed
before the name of the person on whose behalf the letter is signed. This 'incorrect' sequence is so well -established that the correct usage could lead to misunderstanding" (Bloomsbury GoodWord Guide, edited by Martin H. Manser.)

Occasionally words and phrases are described as slang or informal as appropriate:

cojones (kahoniz) SPANISH [from cojon testicle] plural noun (slang) balls, guts,
courage.

cushy (kuushee) HINDI [from khush pleasant] adjective (informal) easy, pleasant, untaxing...

Examples

Many entries have examples to show the use of the word or phrase. Some examples
are constructed as typical uses of the word or phrase; others are citations from
works of English literature and the Oxford English Dictionary:

fayon de parler (fason(g) da pahrly) FRENCH [way of speaking] noun phrase
(plural fayons de parler) a manner of speech or a formulaic phrase or figure
of speech: "Interlopers from the rich end of town were immediately ident)able by their
falon de parler."

kursaal (kersarl) GERMAN [Kur cure and Saal hall, room] noun a public building at a health resort: "Down the road a piece was a Kursaal whatever that may
be and we joined the human tide to see what sort of enjoyment it might afford. It was
the usual open-air concert, in an ornamental garden, with wines, beer, milk, whey, grapes,
etc..." (Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880).

Abbreviated and derived forms

Abbreviated (shortened), derived and related forms are shown as appropriate:

per annum (per anam) LATIN [through the year] adverb phrase annually, yearly,
every year, for each year, by the year: "The enterprise brings in over two million
dollars per annum."abbreviated forms p.a., per an.

nemine contradicente (neminay kontr3dikentay) LATIN [no one contradicting] adverb phrase unanimously, with no one dissenting. ^ abbreviated form
nem. con.: The resolution was passed nem. con.

fiance (feeonsay, feeonsi) FRENCH [past participle of fiancer to betroth,
promise] noun a man who is engaged to be married: "Even ifyou are engaged, I am
sure your fiance would wish you to go into society rather than be bored to death" (Leo
Tolstoy, War and Peace, 1863-69). "noun, feminine fiancee (feeonsay, feeons4)
a woman who is engaged to be married.