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Quiz about Foreign Words in English
Quiz about Foreign Words in English

Foreign Words in English Trivia Quiz


We know them; we use them; but are they English? English is the current language number one and many other languages borrow English words. Nevertheless, English also has adopted foreign words. What do you know about them? Have a fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by marvo1330. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
marvo1330
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
294,516
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
2680
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Question 1 of 10
1. Everyone knows the word "Robot" but do you know what language it comes from originally? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Irish writer Bram Stoker wrote the story of the world famous vampire, Dracula. Vampire is not an English word, so which language does it come from? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Everyone knows that a "bistro" is a small restaurant serving simple meals that are affordable for everyone. What language influenced the name "bistro"? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Which of these languages is a probable origin for the word "pistol"? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Cheers! is what many people say when drinking a legal drug - alcohol. What language donated "alcohol" to the English speaking world? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What language is the origin of "dollar"? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "Genocide" is a word of Latin origin.


Question 8 of 10
8. Which of these words is not of German origin? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What group of languages gives us "vodka"? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The English alphabet is based on Latin characters. What is the origin of figures (1234567890)? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Everyone knows the word "Robot" but do you know what language it comes from originally?

Answer: Czech

Czech writer and painter Josef Capek had created the word robot for his brother's theatre play. Karel Capek used the word for first time in his play "R.U.R." The name "robot" is derived from Czech word "robota" meaning "corvée"; "robot" is someone doing a corvée or chore. In addition, Slovak has the word "robota" and Russian has a similar word "rabota"; both with the meaning "work."
Corvée is a type of forced labor when a cotter is forced to work for a feudal lord free of charge.
2. Irish writer Bram Stoker wrote the story of the world famous vampire, Dracula. Vampire is not an English word, so which language does it come from?

Answer: Serbian

English has adopted the word "vampire" via another Western European language, but the original source is Serbian word "vampir". Serbian is a southern Slavic language.
3. Everyone knows that a "bistro" is a small restaurant serving simple meals that are affordable for everyone. What language influenced the name "bistro"?

Answer: Russian

English borrowed the word from French, but it has a Russian origin. Russian word "bystro" means "fast". Therefore, "bistro" can be understood as "fast food".
4. Which of these languages is a probable origin for the word "pistol"?

Answer: Czech

There are multiple explanations of the "pistol" origin available. Three most mentioned are following:
1.Czech language developed the word "pistole" during the Hussite wars. Hussites derived it from "pistala" - pipe - because of the shape. Many medieval soldiers did battle with Hussites and had many possibilities to get familiar with their weapons. German borrowed the word from Czech and passed it westwards.
2.The name pistol is derived from the Italian city and region Pistonia well known for handgun manufacturers.
3.The French word pistallo (a part of saddle where handguns were hang) is the origin of "pistol"
5. Cheers! is what many people say when drinking a legal drug - alcohol. What language donated "alcohol" to the English speaking world?

Answer: Arabic

Arabic - Latin - French and finally English, this is the metamorphosis of "al kuhl" to "alcohol". The original "al kuhl" means delicate powder.
6. What language is the origin of "dollar"?

Answer: German

Dollar is the corruption of word "Taler", the German monetary unit. The first "Taler" had been minted in Bohemian city Jáchymov (Ger. Joachimsthal) under name Joachimsthaler - Thaler.
7. "Genocide" is a word of Latin origin.

Answer: False

Genocide is the most serious international crime and the world has used it over sixty years. It is an artificial word combined together by Raphael Lemkin (Polish/Jewish jurist and author) in 1943. It has two parts, Greek word "genos" (for family, tribe, race, or nation), and Latin "cide" (for massacre or killing).
8. Which of these words is not of German origin?

Answer: Omnipotent

Surely, omnipotent - this word has a Latin origin.
9. What group of languages gives us "vodka"?

Answer: Slavic

"Vodka" originates as a diminutive of the Slavic word "voda" (water), and its first recorded use was in Poland in the 15th century. It was adopted by Russians in the 16th century. It is usually with one of these two countries that we most associate vodka, although other countries such as Sweden and Finland are proud of their vodka traditions.

Austronesian languages are found in islands of southeast Asia and the Pacific, Ubangian in Africa, and Iroquoian in North America.
10. The English alphabet is based on Latin characters. What is the origin of figures (1234567890)?

Answer: They were developed in India

These ciphers are widely called "Arabic" because Arabic mathematics had presented them to Europe. However, they are of Indian origin and Arabs do not use them. Many European historical buildings have year of construction marked in Roman numerals i.e. 1789 - MDCCLXXXIX. But they are too inefficient for mathematics.
Source: Author marvo1330

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