According to a famous paraphrase of a quote by James D. Nicoll, “English doesn’t borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.” And loose vocabulary, we might add. Lexicographer and etymologist John Ayto has remarked that English is “an inveterate borrower from other languages.” It has been estimated that more than two-thirds of English vocabulary can be traced back to foreign loanwords.
Throughout its history, English has been shaped and enriched by words and phrases of French, Scandinavian, Italian, Latin, Greek, Spanish, German, Russian, Dutch, Yiddish, and Japanese origin. Some of these words have been “naturalized”. For example, we don’t stop to think that the “very English” word “kitchen” is ultimately derived from the Latin verb “coquere” (to cook), or that good old “anger” was originally borrowed from Old Norse and is also related to the Latin and ancient Greek verbs for “strangle.
On the other hand, several lexical borrowings into English flaunt their non-English origin. The following list is a sampler of commonly used French phrases in modern English.
aide-memoire (literally: help-memory): a mnemonic device
ambiance (literally: surroundings): mood, character, atmosphere (e.g. of a location)
au courant (literally: in the current; and yes, the English word “current” is of French origin): up-to-date, fashionable
au naturel (literally: in the natural state): served plainly; nude
au poivre (French for “with pepper”): as in steak au poivre (served with a lot of ground pepper)
avant-garde (French for “the front guard”): a progressive artistic movement
bourgeois (French for “townsman”): member of the middle class
compte rendu (literally: account rendered): review, report, statement of account
cul-de-sac (French for “bottom of the bag”): blind alley
double entendre (literally: double meaning): ambiguity; an expression open to two interpretations, one of which is usually indecent
enfant terrible (literally: terrifying child): a person of unconventional, avant-garde behavior
entente (French for “understanding”): the agreement between France and Britain in 1904 (the full French phrase being “entente cordiale”)
fait accompli (French for “accomplished fact”): done deal, irreversible fact
femme fatale (literally: fatal woman): an irresistibly sexy woman, a woman-siren
force majeure (literally: superior force): irresistible force, unpredictable and uncontrollable event
je ne sais quoi (French for “I don’t know what”): used to describe an elusive impression or quality
laissez-faire/laisser-faire (UK variation) (literally: let (the people) do): an individualistic approach to economic regulation; avoiding interference in the affairs of others
noblesse oblige (literally: nobility obliges): the belief that members of the upper classes are bound to honorable behavior
nom de plume (French for “pen name”): (writer’s) pseudonym, pen name
