Loanwords and loan phrases Loanwords and loan phrases are terms that have been taken from other languages and used as English words and phrases. Another term for a loanword is a borrowed word. Loanwords and loan phrases come into the English language when English speakers come into contact with other languages and cultures. When loanwords and loan phrases first enter the English language, they are used by bilingual speakers and usually maintain the original pronunciation from the source language. As other English speakers adopt the loanwords and loan phrases, the pronunciation may change to incorporate sounds more in keeping with the English speakers’ accents. A foreign word evolves into a loanword when it is adopted into the vocabulary of the average English speaker, not just English speakers who come into contact with the source language and culture. Do not confuse loanwords and loan phrases with calques. A calque is a loan translation, it is a word or phrase which adopts the meaning of a foreign word or phrase with existing English words. Some examples of calques are the English word bushmeat taken from the French word viande de brousse, and the English phrase rest in peace derived from the Latin phrase requiescat in pace. English has incorporated loanwords and loan phrases from many languages. For instance, the terms modus operandi and quid pro quo are borrowed from Latin, à la carte and gaffe are borrowed from French, karaoke and bokeh are borrowed from Japanese and loot and nirvana are borrowed from Hindi. English is an ever-evolving language that is somewhat of a melting pot of other languages and cultures. A Accoutrement Ad hoc Ad hominem (usage) Ad infinitum Ad nauseam Agitprop Ambiance vs. ambience Amok vs. amuck Apropos Attache Au contraire Au fait Avant-garde A cappella A la (à la) A priori B Bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah Belle vs beau Berserk Bête noire Blitzkrieg Bona fide, bona fides Bourgeois, bourgeoisie C Canard Capiche, capeesh, capische, etc Carte blanche Cause celebre Chow vs ciao Cloture vs closure Comme ci, comme ça Confidant vs. confidante Coup de grace Cum C’est la vie D Demeanor or demeanour De facto De rigueur Diktat Divorcée, divorcé, divorcee Doppelgänger Double entendre Dreidel or dreidl Dribble vs. drivel Du jour E En masse En route En vogue, in vogue Ersatz Esprit de corps Et al. Et cetera (etc.) Ex post facto E.g. vs. i.e. F Fait accompli Faux Faux pas Femme fatale Fiancé vs. fiancée Flesh vs flèche Force majeure Forte Futz vs putz G Gesundheit Gist vs. jist Gung-ho H Habeas corpus Hara-kiri Hoi polloi I Ibid vs idem Imbroglio Ipso facto J Je ne sais quoi K Kaput Kowtow L Laissez-faire M Magnum opus Mea culpa Memento mori Mensch Milieu Modus operandi (m.o, MO) Moratorium Muumuu N Nebbish Noel or nowel Non sequitur Nunchucks P Par excellence Persona non grata Per diem Per se Pooh-bah or poobah Protégé Proviso Q Qua Quasi Quid pro quo R Raison d’etre Repertoire or repertory Restaurateur vs. restauranteur Résumé S Sang froid Sans Savoir faire Schadenfreude Schmuck versus putz Shtick Sic Simpatico Sine qua non Skulduggery Smorgasbord Status quo Sui generis Summa cum laude or magna cum laude T Tabula rasa Take the mickey out of someone Terra firma Tete-a-tete Thesauri or thesaurusus Toilette Touche or touché Tour de force Troika V Vamoose Verklempt Vice versa Vis-a-vis Viz. Voilà Vox populi W Whirling dervish Wunderkind