Foreign Words and Phrases Set 2
Expand your knowledge with more foreign words and phrases used in English. These expressions are particularly common in academic and professional contexts.
TL;DR: Expand your knowledge with more foreign words and phrases used in English. These expressions are particularly common in academic and professional cont…
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Expand your knowledge with more foreign words and phrases used in English. These expressions are particularly common in academic and professional contexts.
Foreign Words and Phrases Set 2
- Zeitgeist — The defining spirit or mood of a particular time (from German) (e.g. The protest captured the zeitgeist of young people frustrated with the system.)
- Pro bono — Working without charge for the public good (from Latin, meaning for the public good) (e.g. The lawyer took the case pro bono to help the underprivileged family.)
- Ad hoc — Created or done for a specific purpose without prior planning (from Latin) (e.g. We formed an ad hoc committee to address the immediate crisis.)
- Rendezvous — A meeting at a predetermined time and place (from French) (e.g. They had a secret rendezvous at midnight in the park.)
- Ensemble — A group of musicians, actors, or items considered as a whole (from French) (e.g. The ensemble performed beautifully at the concert.)
- Encore — A repeated performance or additional appearance (from French) (e.g. The audience demanded an encore after the amazing show.)
- In camera — In private or in a judge's office, not in open court (from Latin, meaning in chamber) (e.g. The sensitive details were discussed in camera.)
- Memorabilia — Objects worth remembering or collecting (from Latin) (e.g. His sports memorabilia collection was worth thousands of dollars.)
- Tsunami — A large ocean wave caused by underwater earthquakes (from Japanese) (e.g. The tsunami devastated the coastal communities.)
- Karaoke — Entertainment where people sing along to prerecorded music (from Japanese) (e.g. We had fun singing karaoke at the party.)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many foreign words are considered part of English?
Thousands of foreign words have been adopted into English. Once a word is used widely in English contexts, it's considered part of the English language, even if it originally came from another language.
Should I italicize foreign words in English writing?
Words that are fully adopted into English (like café, résumé, and karaoke) are usually not italicized. Less common or newly used foreign words might be italicized to signal they're not standard English.
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