Words travel fast

If you know it in English, then you know it in French, too: 12 loan words

Image: Daniel Fazio

Just in the same way as English speakers have adopted many foreign words into their daily lexicon, many English words have been adopted by other languages as well. The following 12 are loan words that can be heard all over the world in non-English conversations. Some are known examples, some will definitely surprise you.

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Germans can refer to their mobile phones as "handy". And, while this word is more associated with radio transmitters to English speakers, it is not unreasonable to call those hand-held devices, handies.

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Another word Germans borrowed from the English language, peeling is not used in the sense of peeling a banana, but rather is used to describe a body scrub or an exfoliator.

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The very elegant French language has adopted a few English words into its daily vocabulary, and parking is one of them. But with the added "le" article before, adding some charm to the term: le parking.

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Interestingly, France is one of the few countries that tried to translate and incorporate technology-related terms, but eventually gave up and started using the English versions. For a while, emails were referred to as "courriels", before reverting back to email.

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A language with roots as ancient as Latin, Italian lacks many words describing modern things. And one of these is the one used to describe this joyous outdoor activity, camping. Therefore, when Italians want to spend a night in a tent, or under the stars, they call it camping.

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Another word Italians have borrowed from the English language is "meeting", but in a business sense. If Italians get together more informally, they call it a riunione.

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When Spanish people talk about a good footing, they are not referring to a solid foundation, but (as it does in other languages as well) to a good jogging session.

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In Spanish-speaking countries, talking about autostop does not mean some kind of automatic shutdown or anything like that, but, instead, it means to hitchhike.

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Perhaps it has to do with the fact that this is a relatively new word and almost no other language has created a word of its own to describe it. But, in any case, most languages around the world use the English word to describe the mother of all digital networks.

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Danish people borrowed the word weekend untranslated from the English language and adopted it as their own because they lacked a similar concept when the five-day work week was introduced.

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Dutch is a very complex language to learn, but luckily for us, at least some of its words are borrowed from simpler languages, like English. The Dutch word for women’s tights is, simply, panty.

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The Japanese have a word for white-collared salaried workers that is pronounced sarariman. If this word sounds oddly similar to "salary man", it’s because it is a loan word from the English language, partly modified for an easier adaptation into the Japanese language.

Deep roots

11 everyday words with indigenous roots

English is a very welcoming language in the sense that it incorporates terms from many other languages from all over the world. And, as it couldn’t be otherwise, Native American languages have lent many of their words and terms to English speakers. Some traveled through Spanish or French before settling into English, and others arrived directly through early contact and trade, helping shape the way we speak today. Did you know about these 11 terms?

The word "canoe" comes from the Taino term canoa, which was first used by Caribbean islanders long before Europeans arrived. Early explorers adopted it to describe the slim, sturdy boats they saw.

Over time, "canoe" became the standard English word for a small paddled craft. Today it still carries that sense of simplicity and closeness to nature.

The word "barbecue" comes from barbacoa, another Taino term for a wooden frame used for cooking meat over fire. Europeans adopted it and applied it to both the method and the gathering itself.

Today, "barbecue" means everything from a backyard cookout to a regional cooking style. Its origins highlight the deep culinary influence of Native Americans in the nation's current culture.

"Skunk" comes from the Algonquian word squnk, which means "urinating fox" (quite a fitting term, indeed). This was an obvious reference to the animal’s strong defensive spray. Early settlers adopted the term directly.

Since English had no better name for the creature, the Native word stuck. Today, the word skunks is also used as playful slang.

The word "moose" originates from Eastern Abenaki, a part of the Algonquian family, where it meant "he strips off bark." Yes, it described the animal’s habit of tearing bark from trees.

The name entered English quickly because settlers relied on Native knowledge of local fauna. The word remains unchanged because of its accuracy and usefulness.

"Raccoon" comes from the Powhatan word arakun, meaning "he scratches with his hands." It described the animal’s clever, humanlike front paws.

Settlers adopted the term because it captured the creature’s behavior beautifully. Today, the raccoon is used as a household symbol of curiosity, not unlike the animal itself.

The term "chipmunk" most probably comes from the Ojibwe word ajidamoo, which means "one who descends trees headfirst." Early English settlers adapted the sound into today’s form.

Though the spelling changed over time, the lively image of a chipmunk racing down a tree face-first stayed.

The word "caribou" comes from the Mi’kmaq term qalipu, which means "snow shoveler," referring to the animal’s habit of digging through snow for food.

French settlers brought the word into English, keeping its descriptive nature. The name still connects the modern animal to the winter landscapes it belongs to.

"Totem" comes from the Ojibwe word ototeman, which means "kinship group." It described symbols representing clans and shared roots.

English adopted it to describe carved poles and symbolic elements. Though broader in modern usage, it still hints at the original sense of community, identity, and heritage.

"Coyote" comes from the Nahuatl word coyōtl, which was used by Indigenous tribes of central Mexico. Spanish speakers adopted it, and English borrowed later.

The word kept its meaning, and it remains one of the most direct links between the English language and Nahuatl.

The tasty avocado’s name traces to the Nahuatl word ahacatl, which refers to the fruit and to a body part as well. Spanish speakers transformed it into aguacate.

Later on, English speakers adapted it to avocado. While the name sounds contemporary and culinary, it has ancient Native roots.

The last Nahuatl word and also the last word on the list comes from the term xocolātl, which describes a bitter cacao drink that was consumed long before Europeans arrived in America. The name traveled from Spanish to English.

Though the product changed dramatically, the word survived. Today, chocolate is a universal symbol of sweetness, with rich and deeply indigenous roots.