Concept: Foreign Words

CONTENTS

• French Words
• German Words
• Italian Words
• Latin Words
• Japanese Words
• Russian Words
• Spanish Words

• a la carte - ordered from a menu
• a la mode - in the manner of
• amour proper - self esteem
• apropos - to the point
• au fait - familiar or conversant with
• avant garde - ahead of times, pioneers
• beau monde - fashionable society
• bete noir - special object of dislike
• bon vivant - one who loves luxury; a gourmand
• bon voyage - pleasant trip
• cadre - a basic unit, especially of servicemen
• carte blanche - free hand, unconditional authorization
• c’est la vie - that’s life
• charge d’affaires - a subordinate diplomat
• commit il faut - as it should be done; proper
• coup d’grace - a death blow
• coup d’tat - violent or illegal seizure of power
• cuisine - a style or method of cooking
  
• debut - first public appearance
• déjà vu - a feeling of having seen or done it earlier
• démodé - out of fashion
• de rigeur - customary or fashionable
• detour - a roundabout way
• double entendre - open to two interpretations, one usually indecent
• en famille - as one of the family
• en masse - in a body, all together
• en route - along the way
• entourage - people surrounding an important person.
• entres nous - between ourselves
• esprit de corps - spirit of comradeship
• fait accompli - irreversible fact
• faux pas - a blunder
• haute couture - high fashion
• hors de combat - out of action
• idée fixe - an obsession
• jeu d’espirit - witty comment
• joie de vivre - in high spirits
• laissez faire - non interference
• melee - a confused fight, a muddle
• mot juste - the right expression
• noblesse oblige - obligation of rank, privilege entails responsibility
• nom de plume - a pen name/pseudonym
• par excellence - to the highest degree
• parole - word of honour of a prisoner
• protégé - a person under the protection, patronage or tutelage of another
• sang froid - controlled temperament
  
• savoir faire - ability to act appropriately
• tete á tete - private conversation
• tour de force - a remarkable feat
• vis a vis - in relation to
• volte face - a complete change in conduct or policy

• angst - anxiety
• blitzkrieg - lightning attack
• kaiser - emperor
• kaput - useless
• realpolitik - harsh policy of national self interest
• zeitgeist - the spirit of the times IRISH
• Banshee - the wailing of a spirit that warns of impending death

• Al fresco - in the open air
• Ciao - Hello/goodbye
• Dolce Vita - the good life
• Prima donna - leading female performer

• ab absurdo - from absurdity
• ab initio - from the beginning
• ab origine - from the origin
• addendum - an appendix
• ad arbitrium - at will
• ad hoc - for a specific purpose
• ad hominem - relating to a particular person
• ad infinitum - without limit
• ad interim - for the time being
• as nauseam - to a disgusting degree
• ad valorem - in proportion to the estimated value of the goods
• ad verbum - to the last word
• alias - a false or assumed name
• alibi - proof that you were else where when a crime was committed
• alma mater - gracious mother; school or university one went to
• alpha and omega - the beginning and the end
• alter ego - one’s other self
• alumnus - former student
• a priori - from cause to effect; deductive
• bona fide - in good faith
• caveat emptor - warning to buyer that the purchase may not be exactly as hoped
• corrigendum - corrections in a book
• de facto - in reality
• de jure - by right, legally
• de novo - starting anew
• dictum - a saying or maxim
• e.g. - exempli gratia (for example)
• ex gratia - as a favour
• et al - and others
• ex officio - by virtue of one’s office
• facsimile - a perfect copy
• gratis - free of charge
• homo sapiens - modern man
• in memoriam - in memory of
• inter alia - among other things
• in toto - entirely
• ipso facto - by that fact
• ipso jure - by the law itself
• lacuna - gap
• lapsus calami - a slip of the pen
• lapsus lingual - a slip of the tongue
• lapsus memorial - a slip of the memory
• locus standi - a recognized status
• magnum opus - a great piece of work
• mala fide - in bad faith/ with bad intention
• modus operandi - the way of working
• modus vivendi - way of living
• non sequitur - it does not follow
• per se - by or in itself
• persona grata - a welcome visitor
• persona non grata - unacceptable or unwelcome person
• post mortem - an examination made after death
• prima facie - at first sight
• pros and cons - for and against
• pro rata - in proportion
• pro tem/protempore - for the time being
• quid pro quo - return made(for a gift, favour etc)
• quo vadis - whither goest thou
• religio loci - the spiritual feeling of a place
• sanctum sanctorum - the holy of holies
• sine die - indefinitely
• sine quo non - indispensable condition
• status quo - the existing state of affairs
• sub judice - under judicial consideration
• sub rosa - privately
• summmum bonum - the highest good
• terra firma - dry land, firm ground
• terra incognita - an unknown land
• ultra vires - beyond one’s legal power or authority
• veni, vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered
• via media - a middle course
• viz - namely

• Bonsai - cultivation of miniature trees
• Geisha - lady who is a professional entertainer and companion for men
• Haiku - poem with 17 syllables
• Hara-kiri - ritual suicide by disembowelling
• Ikebana - art of flower arrangement
• Jujitsu - unarmed self-defence
• Kamikaze - aircraft with explosives crashing into enemy targets
• Origami - art of making decorative shapes from paper
• Saki - wine made from rice
• Samurai - aristocratic warrior in feudal Japan
• Sayonara - goodbye
• Tanka - poem of 31 syllables

• glasnost - policy of openness in government
• perestroika - policy of restructuring
• sputnik - artificial satellite

• fiesta - religious festival, holiday
• siesta - afternoon nap