There is no such list, but you could build one.
You can find (multiple) frequency lists for many languages, and you could come up with a way to decide which frequency list to use (there are very many for English). I suppose you are thinking you might construct a list with entries like {day, Tag, jour, день, gün, siku, päivi, 日} where all of the words seem to mean the same thing and the words all end up on the top-1000 list in their respective languages (I don’t know if they do, this is just a hypothetical example).
The problem is that the most frequent words in English (and many other languages) are things like «a, the, all, but, she», and these are not going to have correspondents in all languages. Plus, the various forms of the verb «be» or «do» and «don’t» are each treated as separate words in some frequency lists. It would be more productive to define a subset of concrete nouns and «verbs» like «cat, dog, big, small, eat, walk» and get the N most frequent equivalents across languages. You must abandon the search for data in every language, but you could go for «as many as you can get». As a precursor to this exercise, you might try to come up with the N most frequent concrete nouns and verbs of English, filtering out proper names (unless you really want proper names to be included). Then do the same thing for Khmer. Then you have to decide whether «good» and ល្អ are «the same» in meaning (the Khmer word also translates «attractive»).
This is a guest post by Adela Belin, a private educator and a writer at Writers Per Hour. She shares her teaching experience with colleagues, students, and writers. Feel free to contact her on G+.
I strongly believe that one of the things making the Expanse or Firefly such great series is the language: Chinese curses for the latter, the Belter lingo for the former. It’s these small things that make or break a story, and that’s why you gotta love linguistics!
Most Common Words That Are Used In Multiple Languages
Anyone who has tried to take a look at language and history knows that words are inherently arbitrary, merely symbolic, and are agreed upon by common demographic consensus. Language does not only change its shape and form according to the geography but also through the course of time; history. A word that holds any meaning today may become meaningless ten years down the line. These dynamic changes do not happen due to any rhyme or reason; they just happen!
Image found on Facebook
There is no logical explanation to why the basic vocabulary of Iceland has changed about 4% in the last millennium, and the Norwegian one has changed over 20% in the same time. It is all erratic, based only on the whims of the mass of an epoch. If you think about it, language is like fashion. The mass agreed that bell bottom pants are the need of the hour, and then years later the changed mass disagreed. Similarly for words like “fubsy” or “Bedlam,” ancestors of “chubby” and “asylum.” Why did the consensus settle on “chubby” instead of “fubsy”? No one knows.
This makes one curious, though. If we assume that human beings are the same universally (if we strip them down to the basics), shouldn’t certain words be universal too? We all have the same set of emotions: anger, sadness, fear, love, etc. And language, per se, is the medium of expressing these emotions.
Apart from that, a lot of languages are borrowed from other languages, English being the topper in that list. There is this free trade that is (again) erratic and haywire. If our ancestors deemed a Latin word fit to express an emotion in our native language, so be it!
The internet of language
Of course, as language evolves, it gains its individualism. Even so, there are still tiny specks of similarity that connect to imaginary wires interlinking all of us. The internet of language, if you wish.
One of the most common specks on the internet of language is the word, “huh.” “Huh” is a word that is used around five continents. Out of the 31 dialects scientists recently researched, “huh” was the most common word in all the languages, the word always being used to express confusion. Perhaps, “huh” could have been your response after knowing that “huh” is even a word — and the most common one at that.
Apart from “huh,” the words “mama” and “papa” are used in slight variations across the globe, both of which represent the sounds that toddlers make. Truly universal.
Before you assume that the words that are directly taken from sounds may be universal, consider that the word “sugar,” too, is one of the most universal ones. Which cements the fact that there is no rationality involved in the universality of words! They just happen to be commonly used, that’s all.
For anyone curious enough, “Very,” “Court,” and “Zero” are other such words, even though less common.
Judging by the way language is moving forward, a word that is only used in your culture may become a universal word in the near future. And hey, you are writers: perhaps even a word that you first coined will be tomorrow’s staple. If you don’t believe me, just consider Shakespeare and how many words now common he invented. Words we would never use, were it not for a historical accident, as he died a nobody, then got famous by accident. So, you never know! And if you’re looking for further information on how language shapes our world, check out this post on the subject.
Learning the most common words of a language is a great way to accelerate your learning. You’d be surprised how much you will be able to understand and even speak if you master the most frequently used words. The following pages contain lists of the top 1,000 words to help you get a feel for the language.
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Most Common Albanian Words
Most Common Arabic Words
Most Common Bulgarian Words
Most Common Chinese Words
Most Common Croatian Words
Most Common Czech Words
Most Common Danish Words
Most Common Dutch Words
Most Common Estonian Words
Most Common Finnish Words
Most Common French Words
Most Common German Words
Most Common Greek Words
Most Common Hebrew Words
Most Common Hungarian Words
Most Common Icelandic Words
Most Common Indonesian Words
Most Common Italian Words
Most Common Latvian Words
Most Common Macedonian Words
Most Common Malay Words
Most Common Norwegian Words
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Most Common Portuguese Words
Most Common Romanian Words
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Most Common Swedish Words
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According to serious linguistic research and personal notices of many people, conversational speech consists of 100 words that cover 50% of what we talk about. And 400 most common words that cover 75%, and 1000 words that cover 80+%.
Here is where it all comes from: British scientists proved Researchers from Oxford university composed the text corpus of English language used in the 21st century, this corpus is called the Oxford Text Corpus. The data was gathered from books, blogs, emails, press, chats, and other text sources. It was done for makers of Oxford English Dictionaries and language research program, according to sources. And they compiled a list of the 400 most common words in the English language.
But actually, this list is appropriate for any language. It consists of 3 lists of 100 most common verbs, nouns, adjectives, and a list of 100 most often used words in total forming a big list of 400 most common words in any language.
If you already know that one can 10 words can compile 1000 phrases, here is the tip: in order to memorize as many words as possible from the lists, write sentences using at least 1 word from each of the 100-word lists.
In order to memorize these words quickly, I created FREE printable worksheets with vocabulary learning exercises. Download them now.
Here are the most common 400 words in any language:
100 most often used words in the English language
| 1. the 2. be 3. to 4. of 5. and 6. a 7. in 8. that 9. have 10. I 11. it 12. for 13. not 14. on 15. with 16. he 17. as 18. you 19. do 20. at 21. this 22. but 23. his 24. by 25. from |
26. they 27. we 28. say 29. her 30. she 31. or 32. an 33. will 34. my 35. one 36. all 37. would 38. there 39. their 40. what 41. so 42. up 43. out 44. if 45. about 46. who 47. get 48. which 49. go 50. me |
51. when 52. make 53. can 54. like 55. time 56. no 57. just 58. him 59. know 60. take 61. people 62. into 63. year 64. your 65. good 66. some 67. could 68. them 69. see 70. other 71. than 72. then 73. now 74. look 75. only |
76. come 77. its 78. over 79. think 80. also 81. back 82. after 83. use 84. two 85. how 86. our 87. work 88. first 89. well 90. way 91. even 92. new 93. want 94. because 95. any 96. these 97. give 98. day 99. most 100. us |
100 most common verbs
| 1. be 2. have 3. do 4. say 5. go 6. can 7. get 8. would 9. make 10. know 11. will 12. think 13. take 14. see 15. come 16. could 17. want 18. look 19. use 20. find 21. give 22. tell 23. work 24. may 25. should |
26. call 27. try 28. ask 29. need 30. feel 31. become 32. leave 33. put 34. mean 35. keep 36. let 37. begin 38. seem 39. help 40. talk 41. turn 42. start 43. might 44. show 45. hear 46. play 47. run 48. move 49. like 50. live |
51. believe 52. hold 53. bring 54. happen 55. must 56. write 57. provide 58. sit 59. stand 60. lose 61. pay 62. meet 63. include 64. continue 65. set 66. learn 67. change 68. lead 69. understand 70. watch 71. follow 72. stop 73. create 74. speak 75. read |
76. allow 77. add 78. spend 79. grow 80. open 81. walk 82. win 83. offer 84. remember 85. love 86. consider 87. appear 88. buy 89. wait 90. serve 91. die 92. send 93. expect 94. build 95. stay 96. fall 97. cut 98. reach 99. kill 100. remain |
100 most common nouns
| 1. time 2. year 3. people 4. way 5. day 6. man 7. thing 8. woman 9. life 10. child 11. world 12. school 13. state 14. family 15. student 16. group 17. country 18. problem 19. hand 20. part 21. place 22. case 23. week 24. company 25. system |
26. program 27. question 28. work 29. government 30. number 31. night 32. point 33. home 34. water 35. room 36. mother 37. area 38. money 39. story 40. fact 41. month 42. lot 43. right 44. study 45. book 46. eye 47. job 48. word 49. business 50. issue |
51. side 52. kind 53. head 54. house 55. service 56. friend 57. father 58. power 59. hour 60. game 61. line 62. end 63. member 64. law 65. car 66. city 67. community 68. name 69. president 70. team 71. minute 72. idea 73. kid 74. body 75. information |
76. back 77. parent 78. face 79. others 80. level 81. office 82. door 83. health 84. person 85. art 86. war 87. history 88. party 89. result 90. change 91. morning 92. reason 93. research 94. girl 95. guy 96. moment 97. air 98. teacher 99. force 100. education |
100 most common adjectives
| 1. other 2. new 3. good 4. high 5. old 6. great 7. big 8. American 9. small 10. large 11. national 12. young 13. different 14. black 15. long 16. little 17. important 18. political 19. bad 20. white 21. real 22. best 23. right 24. social 25. only |
26. public 27. sure 28. low 29. early 30. able 31. human 32. local 33. late 34. hard 35. major 36. better 37. economic 38. strong 39. possible 40. whole 41. free 42. military 43. true 44. federal 45. international 46. full 47. special 48. easy 49. clear 50. recent |
51. certain 52. personal 53. open 54. red 55. difficult 56. available 57. likely 58. short 59. single 60. medical 61. current 62. wrong 63. private 64. past 65. foreign 66. fine 67. common 68. poor 69. natural 70. significant 71. similar 72. hot 73. dead 74. central 75. happy |
76. serious 77. ready 78. simple 79. left 80. physical 81. general 82. environmental 83. financial 84. blue 85. democratic 86. dark 87. various 88. entire 89. close 90. legal 91. religious 92. cold 93. final 94. main 95. green 96. nice 97. huge 98. popular 99. traditional 100. cultural |
However…
All these words are nothing without the Essential Grammar of a language. In order to learn vocabulary, you need to have the base of a language first. Learn how to build sentences, and use these 400 most common words to do it.
How to memorize these words quickly?
It can be challenging to keep track of all the new vocabulary in a foreign language. You can save time by memorizing just a few words at a time, and reviewing them frequently.
It’s not easy to memorize new words, even if you only have to learn them in a vacuum. You may have to make time for it every day, and there may never be an end in sight.
But you can save time and energy with our printable vocabulary worksheets. Simply print out these sheets in the language you’re learning and start writing down all these words! The worksheets might even help expedite understanding.
Download your worksheets NOW!
Common Foreign Words in English List A to Z 💬
ADDucation’s list of common foreign words in English list wasn’t easy to put together. English started as a Germanic language. Add a generous helping of old Norse from the Vikings. Lace it with Norman French and Latin constructions. Add thousands of words anglicized from other languages and the result is English as we know it today. “Loanwords” are words borrowed from another language and used “as is” so whether your audience understands the meaning of those common foreign words and phrases used in English is up to you. Foreign phrases used in English are often italicized so they are easier to spot.
- This common foreign words and phrases used in English list compiled by A C and last updated on Oct 28, 2022 @ 6:34 pm.
ADDucation Tips: Click column headings with arrows to sort common foreign words. Reload page for original sort order. Resize your browser to display as many columns as possible. Click the ➕ icon to reveal any hidden columns. Start typing in the Filter table box to find common foreign words used in English inside the table.
| Common foreign words | Source language | Entomology / Origin / Meaning | Trivia / Comments / Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| addenda | Latin | A list of additions. | |
| ad lib | Latin | Improvised. | One of the most common foreign words used in English to describe actors and politicians who go off-piste. |
| ad hoc | Latin | For a particular purpose. | |
| ad infinitum | Latin | To infinity. | |
| à la carte | French 🇫🇷 | From the menu. | |
| ad nauseam | Latin | To the point of nausea, to a sickening degree. | Trevor talked ad nauseam about his career. |
| addenda | Latin | A list of additions. | |
| aficionado | Spanish 🇪🇸 | An ardent fan. | |
| agent provocateur | French 🇫🇷 | Agent who incites others to illegal action. | Agent Provocateur is also a luxury lingerie brand name. |
| alcohol |
Arabic | Originally “al-kuḥl” ancient Egyptian eyeliner, later any fine powder or distilled spirit or essence. | Alcoholic beverages include beers, wines and spirits. |
| alfresco | Italian 🇮🇹 | Fresh air, outdoors. | |
| alma mater | Latin | Former school (Latin “bountiful mother”). | My alma mater is the university of life, which does not award degrees. |
| alter ego | Latin | Second self. | |
| angst | German 🇩🇪 | Dread, anxiety. | |
| ars gratia artis | Latin | Art for art’s sake. | MGM’s Leo the lion’s head is inside a garland of film with the motto “Ars Gratia Artis“. |
| au fait | French 🇫🇷 | Familiar with something (French “to the point”). | |
| au naturel | French 🇫🇷 | Natural state, naked. | |
| avant-garde | French 🇫🇷 | Unorthodox, experimental (French “front guard”). | |
| avatar |
Hindi | Icon or representation of a person online. | You can often change your avatar on websites and in computer games. |
| baksheesh | Persian | Tip (Persian “gift”). | |
| ballet | French 🇫🇷 | Form of dance. From earlier latin ballare “to dance”. | French is the language of ballet, e.g. tutu and ballerina. |
| bete noire | French 🇫🇷 | Personal annoyance, bugbear (French “black beast”). | |
| blitzkrieg | German 🇩🇪 | Sudden overwhelming attack (German “lightning war”). | |
| bon appétit | French 🇫🇷 | Enjoy your meal (French “good appetite). | One of the most common foreign words in English, probably because we don’t have an English equivalent. |
| bon vivant | French 🇫🇷 | Lover of good life. | |
| bon voyage | French 🇫🇷 | Have a nice trip. | We wished Natasha bon voyage as she left to go traveling. |
| bona fide | Latin | In good faith, genuine. | John’s doctor was a bona fide expert in dementia. |
| bravura | Italian 🇮🇹 | Performed with energy and skill. | |
| cafe | French 🇫🇷 | From coffee in many languages, one of the most common foreign words. | Cafés usually serve coffee. |
| carpe diem | Latin | Seize the day. | Made famous by Robin Williams in the movie Dead Poets Society. |
| carpe noctem |
Latin | Seize the night (this is not really in very common usage, but we loved the concept of seizing the night instead of the day!). | |
| carte blanche | French 🇫🇷 | Complete freedom, unlimited authority (French “white card”). | Ron was given carte blanche to choose a new truck. |
| sus belli | Latin | Pretext or reason that justifies or allegedly justifies an attack of war. | |
| caveat emptor | Latin | Let the buyer beware. | Item sold as seen, caveat emptor. |
| chow | Chinese 🇨🇳 | Food, “chow down” means to eat. | Many Chinese words used in English relate to food. |
| chutzpah | Yiddish | Gall, audacity. | |
| cojones | Spanish 🇪🇸 | Testicles, balls, guts. | |
| cordon bleu | French 🇫🇷 | Food cooked to high standard (French “blue ribbon”). | |
| corpus delecti | Latin | The evidence required to prove a crime has been committed. | |
| coup de grace | French 🇫🇷 | A blow of mercy. | |
| cul-de-sac | French 🇫🇷 | Dead end (French “bottom of the sack”). | |
| de facto | French 🇫🇷 | Actual | |
| de rigueur | French 🇫🇷 | Obligatory | |
| déjà vu | French 🇫🇷 | Sense of having already experienced something (French “already seen”). | Déjà vu is one of the most common foreign expressions in English of French origin. |
| derrière | French 🇫🇷 | Behind, bum, bottom, buttocks. | |
| deus ex machine | Latin | God of the machine. | |
| doppelgänger | German 🇩🇪 | Ghostly counterpart of a living person (German “double-goer”). | |
| double entendre | French 🇫🇷 | Double meaning. | |
| droit du seigneur | French 🇫🇷 | Excessive demands on subordinate. Literally “the lord’s right” to take the virginity of a new bride. | |
| élan | French 🇫🇷 | Flair | |
| enfant terrible | French 🇫🇷 | A bad child. | |
| en masse | French 🇫🇷 | In a large group. | The crowd voted with their feet and left en masse. |
| entrepreneur | French 🇫🇷 | Businessman. From 19th century “entreprendre”, a director of a musical institution. | Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey are famous entrepreneurs. |
| ersatz | German 🇩🇪 | A substitute. | |
| eureka | Greek 🇬🇷 | Joyous moment of discovery. | Ancient Greek scholar Archimedes reportedly exclaimed “Eureka!” On getting into a bath Archimedes realised his body displaced the same volume of water causing he water level to rise. |
| fait accompli | French 🇫🇷 | An established fact. | Losing the vote for president was a fait accompli. |
| fata morgana | Italian 🇮🇹 | A striking mirage. | |
| fatwa | Arabic | A legal opinion expressed by Islamic leader. | |
| faux pas | French 🇫🇷 | Breach of social etiquette, social blunder (French “false step”) or mistake. | Wearing a long white dress as a wedding guest was a faux pas. |
| femme fatale | French 🇫🇷 | Highly attractive woman who means trouble. | |
| fiasco | Italian 🇮🇹 | Disaster | |
| force de frappe | French 🇫🇷 | France’s nuclear deterrent (French “superiour force”). | |
| gauntlet / gantlet | Swedish 🇸🇪 | Swedish (gatlopp “lane course running”). The pronunciation in English was corrupted to “gauntlet” (French gantelet “armored glove”). | Running the gauntlet (UK) or gantlet (US) was a form of punishment where the victim was forced to run between two rows of torturers. “Throw down the gauntlet” is to issue a challenge and “take up the gauntlet” accepts the challenge. |
| gemütlich | German 🇩🇪 | Cosy | |
| gestalt | German 🇩🇪 | Form, shape. | |
| gesundheit | German 🇩🇪 | Health, bless you. | |
| glasnost | Russian 🇷🇺 | Openness (Russian “openness, publicity”). | When the Soviet Union crumbled (1986-1991), glasnost was one of most common foreign words used in English language. |
| glitch | Yiddish | A minor fault, bug, gremlin etc. (Yiddish “gletshn” to slide or skid) or (German “glitschen” to slip). | Neo experienced déjà vu as “a glitch in the matrix” when he saw the same black cat walk past a door twice. |
| grand mal | French 🇫🇷 | Epilepsy attack (French “large illness”). | |
| gringo | Spanish 🇪🇸 | Foreigner (mainly Mexican). | |
| gung-ho | Chinese 🇨🇳 | Enthusiasm, zealous (Chinese “work together”) | Adopted as a battle cry by some American military units. |
| guru | Hindi | Spiritual leader. | |
| habeas corpus | Latin | (Latin “You should have the body”) protection against unlawful imprisonment. | |
| halal | Arabic | Meat slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law (Arabic “lawful”). | |
| hoi polloi | Greek 🇬🇷 | Rabble, plebs, the masses | Mixing with the hoi polloi is seen as mixing with people below your social status, the opposite of “hobnobbing” with people above your social status. |
| in flagrante delicto | Latin | Caught in the act (Latin “with the crime still blazing”). | |
| in loco parentis | Latin | A guardian, in place of a parent. | |
| in vino veritas | Latin | Truth is in wine. | |
| ipso facto | Latin | By the fact itself. “A teacher, ipso facto, is in charge of his or her class.” | A chef, ipso facto, is in charge of a kitchen. |
| joie de vivre | French 🇫🇷 | Joy of life. | |
| kamikaze | Japanese 🇯🇵 | From Japanese “divine wind”, referring to a typhoon which dispersed a Mongol invasion fleet in 1281. | Towards the end of WWII Japanese kamikaze pilots launched suicide attacks on enemy ships. It’s one of only a few common foreign words of Japanese origin used in English. |
| karaoke | Japanese 🇯🇵 | From Japanese “empty orchestra”. today meaning singing to a backing track in Karaoke bars and pubs. | Karaoke is one of the most common foreign words, of Japanese origin, used in English. |
| ketchup / catchup |
Chinese 🇨🇳 | Originally a pickled fish sauce with spices and brine. Spelling adapted from Amoy dialect kôe-chiap / kê-chiap (鮭汁) | Ketchup reached the west via Malaysia and Singapore to England where ketchup recipes were mushroom based, then later tomato and spread to the USA via settlers. |
| kitsch | German 🇩🇪 | Rubbish, bad taste. | Ironically kitsch can be so bad it’s good. Kitsch is in the eye of the beholder. |
| la dolce vita | Italian 🇮🇹 | The good life. | Title of several films, songs and a perfume by Christian Dior, one of the best known and used foreign phrases used in English. |
| laissez faire | French 🇫🇷 | Policy of non interference. | |
| lingua franca | Italian 🇮🇹 | Common language. | |
| macho | Spanish 🇪🇸 | Arrogant masculine man (Spanish/Portuguese machismo “manly”). | Randy Savage and the Village People spring to mind. |
| mea culpa | Latin | My fault. | |
| modus operandi | Latin | Method of procedure, method of operating (commonly abbreviated to M.O.). | The suspect followed the same M.O. |
| moped | Swedish 🇸🇪 | (Swedish motor och pedaler “pedal cycle with engine and wheels” ) | One of only a handful of common foreign words from Swedish. |
| noblesse oblige | French 🇫🇷 | Nobility obliges. | |
| nom de plume | French 🇫🇷 | Pen name. | Commonly used by writers to preserve their anonymity. |
| non sequitur | Latin | Something that doesn’t follow on logically. | |
| objet d’art | French 🇫🇷 | Literally “art object” in French. | An objet d’art is used in English to describe a small three-dimensional work with some artistic value. |
| off-piste | French 🇫🇷 | Skiing in areas unprepared for skiing. Off the beaten track. | One of the common foreign words that make English fun. Used to describe actors and politicians who do not follow to their scripts or anything unexpected. |
| pandemic | Greek 🇬🇷 | From Greek “pandemos” meaning “all the people”. | Sadly Covid-19 made ADDucation’s list of the worst global pandemics in history during 2020. Pandemic became one of the most common foreign words worldwide. |
| persona non grata | Latin | Unwelcome or unacceptable person. | Sally was a persona non grata in our club because she wouldn’t follow the rules. |
| piece de résistance | French 🇫🇷 | Special food dish or outstanding item or event. | |
| poltergeist | German 🇩🇪 | A ghost that moves objects around or causes loud noises (German “noisy ghost”). | |
| prima donna | Latin | A temperamental and conceited person. | Sophie found it hard to make friends because she was considered to a prima donna. |
| prima facie | Latin | At first view. | |
| pro bono | Latin | Donated or done without charge. | The lawyer took the case on a pro bono basis. |
| pro forma | Latin | Done for the sake of form. | |
| pro rata | Latin | Proportionally according to a factor. | |
| pro tempore | Latin | For the time being. | |
| punch | Hindi | Originally “paantsch” an alcoholic drink made of five ingredients; sugar, lemon, alcohol, water, spices or tea. | Punch is a popular party drink served from a large punch bowl. |
| pundit |
Hindi | An expert, critic or commentator on a specific subject. | Punditry, by pundits, analyze sports, express opinions in the media, critique theater, food etc. |
| Que sera, sera |
Spanish 🇪🇸 Italian 🇮🇹 |
Whatever will be, will be. | Spanish-like but also from Italian, both in 16th century. Made popular by Doris Day in the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. |
| quid pro quo | Latin | Something for something else, often a fair exchange, sometimes used in sexual harassment cases. | Ron gave me his candy bar as quid pro quo for my soft drink. |
| quod erat demonstratum | Latin | As demonstrated (“Q.E.D.”). | |
| raison d’être |
French 🇫🇷 | Reason for being. | |
| rendezvous | French 🇫🇷 | Agree to meet, meeting. | |
| safari | Swahili | A journey, expedition. | |
| saffron |
Arabic | A spice, originally from “za‘farān” then later old french “safran”. | Saffron is the most expensive spice and food on Earth – but a little goes a long way. |
| salaam | Arabic | Peace from (al)-salām. | Salaam alei·kum “peace be upon you” is a greeting used by Muslims. |
| sang froid | French 🇫🇷 | Cold blood. | |
| savoir-faire | French 🇫🇷 | Knowledge of what to do. | |
| schadenfreude | German 🇩🇪 | Taking pleasure at someone else’s misfortune. | |
| shampoo |
Hindi | Massage, rub (Hindustani “chāmpo” to press). | Humans, animals, cars and furniture can all be shampooed. One of the most common foreign words of Hindi origin used in English. |
| sine qua non | Latin | Indispensable (Latin “without which not”). | |
| smorgasbord | Swedish 🇸🇪 | Sandwich or buffet with variety of dishes or situation with many choices. | See also moped and gauntlet. |
| soupçon | French 🇫🇷 | Hint of (French “suspicion”). | |
| status quo | Latin | Existing state or condition. | Hannah didn’t like change and preferred to maintain the status quo. Also a famous rock band. |
| tempus fugit | Latin | Time flies. | |
| tête-à-tête | French 🇫🇷 | A private conversation (French “head to head”). | |
| tour de force | French 🇫🇷 | A feat of strength. | |
| troika | Russian 🇷🇺 | “Troe” in Russian means “set of three” and was used to refer to politicians and adminstrators. | A troika is a sleigh or carriage drawn by a group of three horses harnessed abreast before being used more generally as a group of three. |
| tsunami | Japanese 🇯🇵 | A large tidal wave (Japanese “harbor wave”). | More Japanese words used in English… |
| tycoon | Japanese 🇯🇵 | Business leader (from Japanese “taikun” meaning “high commander”). | The 72 year-old tycoon was one of America’s most generous philanthropists. |
| uber / über | German 🇩🇪 | Very, max, possessing property to an extreme (German “over”). | Uber has become one of the fastest growing foreign language words used in English due to the rise of the Uber brand around the world. |
| vendetta | Italian 🇮🇹 | Private revenge feud among families of murdered persons. | Vendetta is one of the most common foreign words in English of Italian origin. |
| veni, vidi, vici | Latin | I came, I saw, I conquered. | |
| verboten | German 🇩🇪 | Forbidden | |
| vis-à-vis | French 🇫🇷 | As compared with | |
| wunderkind | German 🇩🇪 | Boy wonder from the German “wonder child”. | A boy succeeding at an early age could be a wunderkind. |
| zeitgeist | German 🇩🇪 | Spirit of the times. | 2020 zeitgeist words; pandemic, lockdown, furlough, environment. |
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If the English language made any sense, lackadaisical would have something to do with a shortage of flowersDoug Larson
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