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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
Algebra
Assassin
Harem
Mattress
Safari
Sofa
Sultan
Sherbet
Tariff
Zero
Meaning
the part of mathematics in which letters and other general
symbols are used to represent numbers and quantities in
formulae and equations
a person who murders an important person for political or
religious reasons.
the separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives,
concubines, and female servants.
a fabric case filled with soft, firm, or springy material, used for
sleeping on.
an expedition to observe or hunt animals in their natural habitat
a long upholstered seat with a back and arms
a Muslim sovereign
a cooling drink of sweet diluted fruit juices
a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or
exports
no quantity or number; nought
African Origin Foreign Words:
Foreign words
Banana
Chimpanzee
Cola
Dengue
Jamboree
Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo
Voodoo
Zebra
Zombie
Meanings
a long curved fruit which grows in clusters and has soft pulpy
flesh and yellow skin when ripe.
a great ape with large ears
a brown carbonated drink that is flavoured with an extract of
cola nuts
a debilitating viral diseasetransmitted by mosquitoes
a large celebration or party
a very large person or thing.
intended to cause confusion
a black religious cult practise
an African wild horse with black-and-white stripes and an erect
mane
a corpse said to be revived by witchcraft
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Words of Foreign Language
Chinese Origin Foreign words:
Foreign words
Chi
Chow
Feng Shui
Gung Ho
Ketchup
Kung Fu
Lychee
Silk
Tea
Tofu
Meaning
aliveness
Fried
a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and
orientation in relation to the flow of energy
unthinkingly enthusiastic and eager
a spicy sauce made chiefly from tomatoes and vinegar
a primarily unarmed Chinese martial art
a small rounded fruit with sweet white scented flesh
a fine, strong, soft lustrous fibre produced by silkworms
a hot drink made by infusing the dried crushed leaves of the tea
plant in boiling water.
a soft white substance made from mashed soya beans
German Origin Foreign words:
Foreign Word
Blitz
Frankfurter
Hamburger
Kaput
Kitsch
Kindergarten
Lager
Pilsner
Wanderlust
Zeitgeist
Meaning
an intensive or sudden military attack.
a seasoned smoked sausage made of beef and pork
a flat round cake of minced beef
broken and useless
poor but appreciable
a nursery school
a kind of effervescent beer which is light in colour and body
a lager beer with a strong hop flavour
Wanderlust
the defining spirit or mood of a particular period
Indian Origin Foreign Words:
Foreign Word
Bungalow
Cheetah
Dacoit
Guru
Jungle
Khaki
Loot
Pundit
Pyjama
Thug
Meaning
a large detached house with more than one storey
a large slender spotted cat found in Africa and parts of Asia.
a member of a band of armed robbers
an influential teacher or popular expert
an area of land overgrown with dense forest
a dull greenish or brownish-yellow colour.
private property taken from an enemy in war.
an expert in a particular subject or field
a loose-fitting jacket and trousers for sleeping in.
a violent person, especially a criminal.
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Words of Foreign Language
Spanish Origin Foreign words:
Foreign Word
Adios
Cigar
Guerrilla
Hurricane
Lolita
Macho
Ranch
Siesta
Meaning
goodbye
a cylinder of tobacco rolled in tobacco leaves for smoking
referring to actions or activities performed in an impromptu way
a storm with a violent wind
a sexually precocious young girl
masculine in an overly assertive way
a large farm
an afternoon rest or nap
Common Foreign Phrases Used:
Foreign Phrase
a la carte [French]
alfresco [Italian]
alma mater [Latin]
Meaning with Example
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?
open air; outdoors

We’ve been invited to an alfresco dinner at the
Mughal Gardens.

Are we dining alfresco tonight?
any institution one has graduated from; in other words,
one’s old school or university

avant-garde [French]
an artist or group associated with the use of new techniques
in their field

Blitzkrieg [German]
I haven’t returned to my alma mater since the day I
graduated.
Our friend is an avant-garde; we can’t really
appreciate his work because it is too modern for us.
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.
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Words of Foreign Language
bona fide [Latin]
c’est la vie [French]
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.
that’s life; such is life

curriculum vitae (CV)
[Latin]
resume, i.e., outline of one’s educational and professional
qualifications, made for job applications

de facto [Latin]
I committed a faux pas the other day when I went to
a formal dinner dressed up for a costume party.
total failure

guerrilla [Spanish]
Neither side was willing to play in such terrible
conditions; ergo, there would no match.
social blunder

fiasco [Italian]
I’ve just left, I’m en route for the auditorium.
therefore; consequently

faux pas [French]
I experienced déjà vu when I entered the kitchen,
even though I was fully aware that I had never been
in that house before.
on the way

ergo [Latin]
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.
the sensation of having previously experienced something
that one is experiencing

en route [French]
Have you got your CV ready for the interview
tomorrow?
in reality, actually

déjà vu [French]
I don’t allow myself to get depressed; I just say
‘C’est la vie!’ and move on.
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.
pertaining to guerrillas or their methods of warfare

The troops, bested in the open, fled to the forests,
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Words of Foreign Language
resorting to guerrilla tactics.
joie de vivre [French]
joy in living

klutz [Yiddish]
a clumsy person

lingua franca [Italian]
Considerations of realpolitik drove me to campaign
relentlessly, pandering to the masses to garner
votes.
the existing state of things

tabula rasa [Latin]
Be on your best behaviour around her; she’s known
to be quite the prima donna.
opportunistic politics that concerns itself with ground
realities, with self-advancement as the sole driving principle

status quo [Latin]
The statement was interesting per se; it did not
make much sense in context, however.
temperamental entertainer

Realpolitik [German]
The per capita income of the country was very high.
in itself

prima donna [Italian]
It was clear from the beginning that Sachin
Tendulkar was a batsman par excellence.
per person

per se [Latin]
Aishwarya Bacchan nee Rai
the best at something

per capita [Latin]
English is the lingua franca of the world by virtue of
the fact that is spoken in the largest number of
countries.
born; used for the maiden name of a married woman

par excellence [French]
I behaved like a klutz at the party, tripping and
spilling my drinks all over the place.
common language

nee [French]
It is rare that one is able to experience true joie de
vivre once one is past one’s youth.
The point of having her elected was for the reigning
party to perpetuate the status quo.
blank slate

A child’s mind is like tabula rasa; it is very important
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Words of Foreign Language
to ensure that it is not exposed to harmful influences.
terra firma [Latin]
hard, firm ground

tete-a-tete [French]
a private, intimate conversation

vis-à-vis [French]
I managed to sneak a tete-a-tete with him during the
trip about his daughter’s nightly wanderings.
face-to-face

Zeitgeist [German]
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.
They sat vis-à-vis across the table.
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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