Loanword

A loanword (or a borrowing) is a word word taken in by one language from another. The name is somewhat misleadig since the words are not given back. Although loanwords are typically far less numerous than the "native" words of most languages (creoles being an obvious exception), they are often widely known and used, since their borrowing served a certain purpose.

English has many loanwords, due to England coming in contacts with numerous invaders in the Middle Ages, and English becoming a trade language in the 18th century. The table below lists languages from which English borrowed more than 1000 words:

• Classical Latin - Kitchen, Street
• Ancient Greek - Idiot, Tragedy
• Norman French - Guardian, Pork, Parliament
• Parisian French - Champion, Beautiful, Chase
• Old Norse - They, Skin, Dike, Sky, Through, Father

More exotic source languages include Arabic, Hebrew, Quechua, Russian, as well as others.

Affixes and idiomatic expressions can also be borrowed. Often, a loanword is used as an euphemism for a less polite term in the original language

French set phrases are called Gallicisms:

Goes without saying, in lieu of

Latin set phrases are called, well, Latinisms

Et cetera, exempli gratia, vide licet (viz)

There are very few Norse set phrases.

Here are some common borowed affixes:

• -s (verb suffix) from Norse. Plural ending is not from French
• in- Latin
• -able Latin
• -ity Greek
• -tion Latin