Foreign Words & Phrases

See also Foreign Words & Phrases – Miscellaneous – where the answer is usually the non–English word or phrase itself (the question being about its origin, etc.).

Cheers!

How to say "Cheers" (as in "good health", when making a toast) in 24 languages (according to TodayTranslations – with a few additions from MatadorNetwork):

Chinese		Gan bay
Czech		Na zdravi
Danish		Skål (skoal)
Dutch		Proost (prohst)
French		(À votre) santé, or À la votre
German		Prost or zum wohl (good health)
Greek		Yamas
Hebrew		L'chaim
Irish Gaelic		Sláinte (slawn–cha)
Italian		Salute (sa–LOO–tay) or cin cin (chin chin)
Japanese		Kanpai (kan–pie) – it means "dry the glass"!
Korean		Gun bae
Norwegian		Skål (skawl)
Polish		Na zdrowie (naz–drov–yay)
Portuguese		Saúde (sah–OO–day)
Russian		Not applicable – they have no such custom!
Scots Gaelic		Slàinte Mhlath (slanj–a–va)
Spanish		Salud
Swedish		Skål (skawl)
Thai		Chok dee
Ukrainian		Boodmo
Vietnamese		Dô (jou), Vô (dzo), or Môt hai ba, yo (one, two, three, yo!)
Welsh		Iechyd da (yechid da)
Yiddish		Sei gesund (say geh–sund)

Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovak and Slovenian are very similar to Czech and/or Polish.

A–E

Aardvark	Afrikaans		Earth pig
Addis Ababa	Amharic		New Flower
Dar es Salaam	Arabic		Haven of peace
Hezbollah	Arabic		Party of God
Islam	Arabic		Surrender or submission
Al Jazeera	Arabic		The Island
Jihad	Arabic		Conflict (struggle)
Koran	Arabic		Recitation
Monsoon	Arabic		Season
Sahara	Arabic		Desert
Salaam (As–salamu alaykum)	Arabic		Peace (be upon you)
Swahili	Arabic		Coastal dwellers
Uluru (their name for Ayers' Rock)	Australian aborigine		Giant pebble
Chang & Eng	Chinese (or Thai)		Left & Right
Chop suey	Chinese		Mixed pieces
Hong Kong	Chinese		Fragrant harbour
Shanghai	Chinese		Upon the sea
Shih–tzu	Chinese		Lion dog
Copenhagen	Danish		Merchants' harbour (or haven)
Faroe	Danish		Sheep
Aardvark	Dutch		Earth–pig
Yacht (Jacht)	Dutch		Hunt (noun)
Esperanto	(Esperanto)		The hopeful one

French

Á bon marché	French		Cheap(ly)
Ananas	French		Pineapple
Au pair	French		On an equal basis
Berceuse	French		Lullaby
Biscuit	French		Twice cooked
Bouffant	French		Baggy
Boulanger	French		Baker
Brasserie	French		Brewery
Cul de sac	French		Bottom of bag
Detente	French		Loosening
Dressage	French		Training
Entente	French		Understanding
Entre nous	French		Between ourselves
Esprit de corps	French		Team spirit
Fraise	French		Strawberry
Framboise	French		Raspberry
Grand mal, Petit mal	French		Epilepsy
Grenouille	French		Frog
Homard	French		Lobster
Hotel de Ville (France)	French		Town Hall
Louvre	French		Fortress
Maché (as in papier maché)	French		Chewed
Mal–de–mer	French		Seasickness
Manche (La)	French		Sleeve (The)
Mardi Gras	French		Shrove (literally Fat) Tuesday
Marmite	French		Cooking pot
Pamplemousse	French		Grapefruit
Pissenlits	French		Dandelions
Pouce	French		Inch or thumb
Pourri (as in pot–pourri)	French		Rotten, decayed, or putrid
Pret–a–manger	French		Ready–to–eat
Pret–a–porter	French		Ready–to–wear
Prune	French		Plum
Pruneau	French		Prune
Sangfroid	French		Cold blood
Tout de suite	French		As soon as possible
Vol–au–vent	French		Flight in the wind

Gaelic, Gallic

Dublin	Gaelic		Black pool
Fianna Fail	Gaelic		Soldiers of destiny
Sinn Féin sinn fein	Gaelic		(We) Ourselves (alone)
Inver	Gallic		Mouth of a river
Kyle (of Lochalsh)	Gallic		Strait (of Lochalsh)
Strath	Gallic		Wide valley

German

Achtung	German		Attention (hence look out, etc.)
Adler	German		Eagle (or eagles)
Bayern	Bavaria		Eagle (or eagles)
Blitzkrieg (literally)	German		Lightning war
Donner und Blitzen	German		Thunder and lightning
Eine kleine Nachtmusik	German		A little night music
Ersatz	German		Substitute
Fledermaus	German		Bat
Führer	German		Leader fuhrer
Gauleiter	German		Nazi district governor
Geschichte	German		History
Lager	German		Store
Luftwaffe	German		Air weapon
Mein Kampf	German		My struggle
Osterglocke(n)	German		Daffodil(s)
Pferd	German		Horse
Poltergeist (literally)	German		Noisy ghost
Rad	German		Wheel (or, colloquially, bicycle)
Rathaus	German		Town Hall
Rindfleisch	German		Beef
Schwarzwald	German		Black Forest
Tannenbaum	German		Christmas tree (lit. fir tree)
Volkswagen	German		People's car
Wehrmacht	German		Defence force
Zwiebel	German		Onion

Greek

In many cases, these are not actual Greek words but have been made up from Greek roots.

(This could equally be said of some words in other sections of this page.)

Acropolis	Greek		City height
Atom	Greek		Indivisible
Eureka	Greek		I have found it
Hippopotamus (hippopotamos)	Greek		River horse
Kyrie Eleison	Greek		Lord have mercy
Martyr	Greek		Witness
Proto–	Greek		First
Pterodactyl	Greek		Wing finger
Utopia	Greek		No place

H–I

Honolulu	Hawaiian		Sheltered bay
Wiki	Hawaiian		Quick, fast, or to hurry
Golgotha	Hebrew		Place of (a) skull(s)
Messiah	Hebrew		(The) anointed (one)
Rabbi	Hebrew		(My) master
Shalom	Hebrew		Peace
Tel Aviv	Hebrew		Hill of Spring
Raj	Hindi, Urdu, etc.		Prince or Royalty
Eskimo	Inuit		Eater of raw flesh
Nanook	Inuit		Polar bear
Leprechaun	(Old Irish)		Little body

Italian

See also Types of Pasta in Food.

Al fresco	Italian		In fresh air
Botticelli	Italian		Little barrel
Calcio (the Italian name for football)	Italian		Kick
Cosa nostra (Mafia)	Italian		Our thing (as in 'affair')
Gamba (as in viola da gamba)	Italian		Leg
Graffio (origin of graffiti)	Italian		Scratch
La Traviata	Italian		The fallen woman
Libretto	Italian		Little book
Nessun dorma	Italian		None shall sleep
Pagliacci	Italian		Clowns
Poco a poco	Italian		Little by little, gradually
Pollo	Italian		Chicken
Ponte Vecchio	Italian		Old bridge
Quattro Stagioni (concertos and pizza!)	Italian		Four Seasons
Scala (La – Milan's opera house)	Italian		Staircase (The)
Seraglio	Italian		Harem
Tintoretto	Italian		Little dyer
Uffizi	Italian		Offices
Vespa	Italian		Wasp
Zingari	Italian		Gypsies

Japanese

Bonsai	Japanese		Plant in a pot
Hara kiri	Japanese		Belly cut
Hinomaru (Japan's national flag)	Japanese		Circle of the sun
Hitachi	Japanese		Sunrise
Judo	Japanese		The gentle way
Kamikaze	Japanese		Divine wind
Karaoke	Japanese		Empty orchestra
Karate	Japanese		Empty hand
Kendo	Japanese		Way of the sword
Kimono	Japanese		Thing to wear
Kyoto	Japanese		Capital of capitals
Oshogatsu ('the pure month')	Japanese		New Year
Ryokan	Japanese		Wayside inn
Sayonara	Japanese		Goodbye
Shinto	Japanese		Way of the Gods
Tokyo	Japanese		Eastern capital
Tsunami	Japanese		Harbour wave

K

Alma Ata (former capital of Khazakstan)	Kazakh		Father of apples
Hyundai	Korean		Modernity

Latin

Agnus Dei		Latin		Lamb of God
Albus, alba, album		Latin		White
Alibi		Latin		Elsewhere
Alma mater		Latin		Bountiful mother
Alter ego		Latin		Other self
Anno domini		Latin		In the year of the (our) Lord
Bona fide		Latin		In good faith
Caligula		Latin		Little boots
Carpe diem		Latin		Seize the day
Caveat emptor		Latin		Let the buyer beware
Cave canem		Latin		Beware (of) the dog
Cicero		Latin		Chick pea
Cirrus		Latin		Lock of hair
(In) compos mentis		Latin		(Of) sound mind
Cum grano salis		Latin		With a grain of salt
Cumulus		Latin		Filth or heap (as in accumulate)
Curriculum vitae		Latin		Course of (a) life
De facto		Latin		Existing in fact (cf. de jure)
De jure		Latin		By (lawful) right (cf. de facto)
Dei gratia		Latin		By the grace of God
Deo volente		Latin		God willing
Dexter		Latin		Right (hand side)
Ecce Homo		Latin		Behold the Man
Ex cathedra		Latin		From the chair
Fasces (origin of 'fascist')		Latin		Bundle of sticks
Fenester		Latin		Window
Fido		Latin		I trust
Forum		Latin		Market place
Habeas corpus (literally)		Latin		You may have the body
Id est		Latin		That is
In camera		Latin		In private
In vitro		Latin		In glass
Intra vires		Latin		Within the powers of
Lapsus linguae		Latin		Slip of the tongue
Locum (tenens)		Latin		Deputy or substitute
Ludo		Latin		I play
Mea culpa		Latin		Through my fault
Mensa		Latin		Table
Mens sana in corpore sano		Latin		Sound mind in sound body
Modus operandi		Latin		Method of working (operation)
Nil desperandum		Latin		Never despair
Nisi		Latin		Unless (or "if not")
Nolens volens		Latin		Willy nilly
Obiit sine prole		Latin		Died without issue
Omnibus		Latin		For all
Onus probandi		Latin		The burden of proof
Per diem		Latin		Daily
Post mortem		Latin		After death
Prima facie		Latin		At first sight
Primus inter pares (PAH–rays)		Latin		First among equals
Pro rata		Latin		For the rate (i.e. proportionally)
Pro tem(pore)		Latin		For the time being
Quid pro quo		Latin		In exchange for another
Quo vadis		Latin		Where are you going
Sinister		Latin		Left (hand side)
Sub poena		Latin		Under penalty
Sub rosa		Latin		In secret
Tempus fugit		Latin		Time flies
Terra firma		Latin		Solid ground (earth)
Veto		Latin		I forbid
Volvo		Latin		I roll

M–P

Mata Hari	Malay			Eye of the Day
Orang–utan	Malay			Person of the woods (forest)
Kuala Lumpur	Malaysian			Estuary of the muddy (river)
Kia ora	Maori			Have life, or have health (a standard greeting)
Maori	Maori			Normal, natural or ordinary
Genghis Khan	Mongolian			Perfect warrior
Gobi	Mongolian			Waterless place
Dalai Lama	Mongolian / Tibetan			Ocean of Wisdom
Burkina Faso	Mossi / Dyula			Land of incorruptible men
Popocatapetl	Nahuatl			Smoking mountain
Goyathlay (Geronimo)	(Native American)			One who yearns
Yucatan	(Native American)			I don't understand
Ayatollah	Persian			Miraculous sign of God
Kebab	Persian (originally)			Fry, burn, char, etc.
Koh–i–Noor	Persian			Mountain of Light
Taleb (plural taleban)	Persian			Student
Auto–da–fé	Portuguese			Act of faith
Garrincha	Portuguese			Little bird
Rio de Janeiro	Portuguese			River of January
Monsoon	Portuguese, Malay, Arabic			Season
Punjab	Punjabi			Five rivers

Russian

Babooshka		Russian		Grandmother
Bolshevik		Russian		Greater members
Bolshoi		Russian		Great or big
Borzoi		Russian		Swift
Glasnost		Russian		Openness
Kremlin		Russian		Fortress (area) or citadel
Menshevik		Russian		Lesser members
Mir		Russian		Peace
Perestroika		Russian		Reconstruction
Pivo		Russian		Beer
Pravda		Russian		Truth
Rasputin		Russian		Philanderer, womaniser
Soyuz		Russian		Union
Sputnik		Russian		Fellow traveller
Tovarisch		Russian		Comrade
Vodka		Russian		Little water

S

Buddha	Sanskrit		Enlightened one
Himalaya	Sanskrit		Abode of snow
Mahatma	Sanskrit		Great soul
Auld lang syne (literally)	Scots		Old long since

Spanish

Alcatraz	Spanish (archaic)		Pelican
Amarillo	Spanish		Yellow
Angostura	Spanish		Narrows
Armada	Spanish		Navy
Buenos Aires	Spanish		Fair (good) winds
Casablanca	Spanish		White house
Corrida	Spanish		Bullfight
Costa Brava	Spanish		Rugged or Wild Coast
(La) Cucaracha	Spanish		(The) Cockroach
El Salvador	Spanish		The Saviour
Fray Bentos	Spanish		Brother Benedict
Manzana	Spanish		Apple
Naranja	Spanish		Orange
Nicaragua	Spanish		Muddy water
Perro	Spanish		Dog
Prado	Spanish		Meadow
Puerto Rico	Spanish		Rich port
Sierra Madre	Spanish		Mother Range
Temprano (dim. Tempranillo)	Spanish		Early
Tia Maria	Spanish		Aunt Mary
Tierra del Fuego	Spanish		Land of Fire
Veracruz	Spanish (and Portuguese)		True cross
Zorro	Spanish		Fox

S–Z

Jambo		Swahili		Hello
Uhuru		Swahili		Freedom
Curry		Tamil		Sauce
Thailand	Thai			Land of the free
Taboo		Tongan		Forbidden
Kismet	Turkish			Fate or destiny
Shish (as in "shish kebab")		Turkish		Skewer
Rogan josh	Urdu			Red sauce
Araf		Welsh		Slow (used on road signs)
Corgi		Welsh		Dwarf dog
Croeso		Welsh		Welcome
Crwth		Welsh		Harp
Heddlu		Welsh		Police
Llyn		Welsh		Lake
Ish kabibble		Yiddish		I don't care

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23