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Quiz about What Language Did These Words Come From
Quiz about What Language Did These Words Come From

What Language Did These Words Come From? Quiz


This is a quiz on etymology- the origin of some common words. From what languages did these words originate?

A multiple-choice quiz by crisw. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
crisw
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
3,122
Updated
May 25 22
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
10 / 15
Plays
10746
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 23 (14/15), psnz (15/15), Guest 1 (12/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. Eden, messiah, cabal Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. Pundit, Aryan, mantra Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. Segue, bizarre, opera Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. Skunk, raccoon, opossum Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. Galleon, barbecue, booby Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. Zero, coffee, lemon Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Virus, salary, religion Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Wisdom, woman, understand Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Hero, moron, psyche Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. Bum, noodle, wonder Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Husband, window, answer Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. Klutz, schtik, bagel Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Denim, despair, turquoise Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. Ketchup, chow, tea Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. Skosh, tsunami, kamikaze Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 23: 14/15
Oct 26 2024 : psnz: 15/15
Oct 15 2024 : Guest 1: 12/15
Oct 11 2024 : SueLane: 13/15
Oct 09 2024 : Lascaux: 15/15
Oct 06 2024 : Guest 49: 11/15
Oct 02 2024 : cardsfan_027: 11/15
Sep 19 2024 : Guest 192: 13/15
Sep 13 2024 : mungojerry: 14/15

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Eden, messiah, cabal

Answer: Hebrew

The source for the etymologies is www.dictionary.com.
2. Pundit, Aryan, mantra

Answer: Sanskrit

Although an ancient and unfamiliar language to most of us, many modern words have a Sanskrit origin.
3. Segue, bizarre, opera

Answer: Italian

There is some dispute about the origin of 'bizarre'. Some say it is Basque, but current etymologists think it is most probably Italian.
4. Skunk, raccoon, opossum

Answer: American Indian languages

"Raccoon," for example, came from "arakun"- "he who washes."
5. Galleon, barbecue, booby

Answer: Spanish

'Booby' is from the Spanish 'bobo'- clown. It is a clownish type of sea bird.
6. Zero, coffee, lemon

Answer: Arabic

The Arabs were some of the premier scientists of the ancient world, and many mathematical words trace back to them.
7. Virus, salary, religion

Answer: Latin

Latin is one of the largest contributors to modern English etymology.
8. Wisdom, woman, understand

Answer: Old English

Many words with "h" and "w" sounds have such origins.
9. Hero, moron, psyche

Answer: Greek

Greek is another of the extremely-common sources of English words.
10. Bum, noodle, wonder

Answer: German

Not all German words are a yard long!
11. Husband, window, answer

Answer: Norse

Can you hear a bit of a chill in the words from the North?
12. Klutz, schtik, bagel

Answer: Yiddish

And, of course, mensch, kvetch, and many other useful phrases!
13. Denim, despair, turquoise

Answer: French

There is a bit of elegance in French-derived words.
14. Ketchup, chow, tea

Answer: Chinese

'Ketchup' came from the Malay who got the word from the Chinese.
15. Skosh, tsunami, kamikaze

Answer: Japanese

"Skosh" is an Americanization of the Japanese "sukoshi."
Source: Author crisw

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us