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Quiz about The Quirkiness of the English Language

The Quirkiness of the English Language Quiz

The English language is a hotchpotch of foreign words. This quiz is about the origin of words in everyday English usage.

A multiple-choice quiz by sunfloweruk23. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
sunfloweruk23

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
165,772

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
8 / 15

Plays
1907

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. The word 'chocolate' comes from which language? Hint

Aztec

Dutch

Persian

Malay

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Question 2 of 15

2. Landscape is a word whose origins lay in which language? Hint

Old Norse

Turkish

Dutch

Middle English

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Question 3 of 15

3. In which language does the word 'canoe' have its origins? Hint

Greek

Latin

Arawak

Modern French

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Question 4 of 15

4. Which language is the source of the word 'thug'? Hint

Arabic

Modern English

Hindi

Greek

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Question 5 of 15

5. A tropical storm of the Pacific Ocean is called a typhoon, but which language gave us this word? Hint

Japanese

Chinese

Malay

Persian

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Question 6 of 15

6. 'Rhythm' came into the English language by means of which ancient language? Hint

Greek

Persian

Sanskrit

Arabic

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Question 7 of 15

7. Originally having a musical meaning, the word 'replica' entered English by virtue of which language? Hint

Spanish

Italian

Japanese

German

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Question 8 of 15

8. Another word ending with 'oon': from which language did 'tycoon' enter the English language? Hint

Urdu

Japanese

Malay

Dutch

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Question 9 of 15

9. 'Persecute' is a word whose roots lie in which language? Hint

Greek

Latin

Old English

Dutch

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. The girl's name Wendy comes from which language? Hint

Turkish

Modern French

Malay

Modern English

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Question 11 of 15

11. The word 'husband' has its derivation in which language? Hint

Persian

Latin

Old Norse

Arabic

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. We all know what a caravan is, but from which language did this word originate? Hint

Arabic

Persian

Turkish

Dutch

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. The word 'kiosk' is from which language? Hint

Greek

French

Turkish

Latin

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. 'Marriage' is a word originally from which language? Hint

Modern English

Old French

Modern French

Old English

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Question 15 of 15

15. The word 'camouflage' is from Old French?

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The word 'chocolate' comes from which language?

Answer: Aztec

Chocolate derives from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. This language belongs to a group of Indian languages related to those spoken by the Comanche, Shoshone and other tribes of the western United States.

2. Landscape is a word whose origins lay in which language?

Answer: Dutch

Landscape is from the Dutch word 'lantscap'. It first appeared around the 16th century, lant = land, and scap = ship.

3. In which language does the word 'canoe' have its origins?

Answer: Arawak

Canoe comes from the Arawak language of the Caribbean. The Greater Antilles, Cuba, Haiti and Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Puerto Rica are modern day countries with Arawak history.

4. Which language is the source of the word 'thug'?

Answer: Hindi

From the Hindi word 'thag'- a ne'er do well or villain. The Thugs were a society of thieves who befriended travellers, later murdering them to rob the bodies. The corpses of victims were dedicated to Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction.

5. A tropical storm of the Pacific Ocean is called a typhoon, but which language gave us this word?

Answer: Chinese

Typhoon originates from the 16th century 'tai fung' - Chinese for 'big wind'.

6. 'Rhythm' came into the English language by means of which ancient language?

Answer: Greek

The Greek word 'rhuthmos' derives from another Greek word 'rhein' meaning 'to flow'.

7. Originally having a musical meaning, the word 'replica' entered English by virtue of which language?

Answer: Italian

'Replica' derives from the Italian ' replicare' - to reply. Musically, it was used to imply a repeat.

8. Another word ending with 'oon': from which language did 'tycoon' enter the English language?

Answer: Japanese

'Tycoon', meaning 'taikun' meaning 'great lord', was borrowed from the Chinese by from the Japanese and used to refer to the shogun. It was borrowed by English in the 19th century from the Japanese.

9. 'Persecute' is a word whose roots lie in which language?

Answer: Latin

The Latin word 'persequi' means to 'follow with hostility', the French 'persecuter' derives from this and lead to the English 'persecutor'.

10. The girl's name Wendy comes from which language?

Answer: Modern English

The name was popularized by Scottish author J. M. Barrie in 'Peter Pan', first written as a play in 1903. He gave the rights to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in 1929.

11. The word 'husband' has its derivation in which language?

Answer: Old Norse

The Norse word 'husbondi' the 'master of a house', is from 'hus' and 'bondi' meaning house and tiller of the soil.

12. We all know what a caravan is, but from which language did this word originate?

Answer: Persian

The word derives from the Persian 'karwan' - historically a group of people travelling across a desert, usually in Asia or north Africa.

13. The word 'kiosk' is from which language?

Answer: Turkish

The French westernised the word to 'kiosque' but its roots are in the Turkish word 'kosk', meaning a pavilion. This is still used in Turkey and Iran for the name of a pavilion or summer house.

14. 'Marriage' is a word originally from which language?

Answer: Old French

Simply from the Old French 'marier' - to marry.

15. The word 'camouflage' is from Old French?

Answer: False

The Modern French word 'Camouflage' dates only from World War One, being taken from the French 'camoufler' meaning 'to disguise'.

Source: Author sunfloweruk23

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