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Posts tagged 'french words'

Doolally, Pukka and Cushy. And other words of Indian origin in everyday use

23rd
Nov
by Sarah Turner

Historically, these great British Isles, where I live, have a habit of being invaded. (Although, thankfully, not for some time.)

The upside to this, of course, along with nice straight roads built by the Romans, is that the English language is a rich and colourful blend of Latin words, Anglo Saxon words and French words.

But that’s not all. The Brits, of course, love to “visit” other countries – whether we’re invited or not. And during the era of British rule in India (1612 – 1947) numerous words of Indian origin entered the English language.

These Indian words came from a variety of languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punajabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Kashmir, Sindhi, and the sacred, ancient language Sanskrit.

And today, over 700 words in the Oxford English dictionary have Indian origin. Here are just a few of them:

Bandanna: From the Hindi word Bandhana meaning to tie.

Bangle: From the Hindi word Bangri meaning glass bracelet.

Bungalow: From the Hindi word Banla meaning “house in the Bengal style” or single story house.

Chit: From the Hindi word Chitthi meaning a slip of paper (used instead of money).

Cot: From the Hindi word Khat meaning portable bed, couch or hammock.

Cummerbund: From the Urdu word Kamar-band meaning waistband.

Cushy: From: the Hindi word Khush meaning happy, easy, pleasant.

Doolally: From the town of Deolali, the location of an army base and sanatorium where soldiers leaving India in the late 19th century were sent before leaving for home. Those that became mentally deranged after contacting a fever, or Tap in Urdu, were said to have gone Doolally Tap.

Guru: A Hindi word meaning spiritual leader or guide, teacher instructor. From the Sanskrit words Guruh meaning weighty, heavy, grave.

Khaki: An Urdu word meaning dusty or dust coloured.

Pundit: From the Hindi word Pandit meaning a learned man. From the Sanskrit word Panditah meaning learned scholar.

Pukka: From the Hindi words Pakka meaning cooked, solid, substantial.

Pyjamas or Pajamas: From the Urdu word payjamah meaning leg garment.

Shampoo: From the Hindi word Champo, meaning to press and massage. 

Thug: From the Hindi word Thag meaning a thief or conman and the Sanskirt word Sthaga meaning robber.

Yoga: A Sanskrit word for the union of mind, body and spirit.

Any favourite Indian words? And Chicken Tikka Massala, Tarka Dal, Sag Aloo and Bhindi Bhaji don’t count!


Tags: anglo saxon, cushy, doolally, french words, indian words, latin, pukka
Posted in Word stuff | comments icon 5 Comments »

Va va voom

6th
Dec
by Sarah Turner

I was writing some copy the other day when I realised the exact phrase I was looking for was je ne sais quoi. This got me thinking about how many words and phrases we use that come from across the Channel. 

Did you know that about 30% of the English language is derived from French? Mais non? Words like niche, blonde, souvenir, genre and chic are all French in origin. And there are beaucoup French words that are in everyday use. 

Like à la carte, hors d’oeuvre, bon voyage and après-ski. Or the rather delicious avant-garde, risqué, soirée, film noir and rendez-vous. Or the optimistic joie de vivre, c’est la vie and fait accompli. Or the luscious de rigueur and haute couture. And don’t forget faux pas, double entendre, laissez faire and carte blanche.

And what have we given in return? Le TV. Le weekend. Le football. Les hooligans. Mon Dieu.


Tags: french words
Posted in Word stuff | comments icon 1 Comment »

 

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