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English Borrowings Trivia Quiz

Few languages have so gluttonously borrowed words from others languages than English.This may have been because of the 'British Empire' , but did not end with its demise.But let's be fair:there was no bigger 'lender' than English itself.

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

Author
flem-ish

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
71,393

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
5860

Last 3 plays: Guest 139 (3/10), Guest 85 (7/10), Guest 103 (3/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What language did English take the word sauna from? Hint

Finnish

Basque

Hungarian

Swedish

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Question 2 of 10

2. What language did English get 'deck', 'boss' and 'yacht' from? Hint

Dutch

Gaelic

German

Norse

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Question 3 of 10

3. What language is robot from? Hint

Czech

Croat

Russian

Serbian

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Question 4 of 10

4. Marmalade is from : _________ ? Hint

Portuguese

Maltese

Greek

Italian

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Question 5 of 10

5. Index originally meant forefinger and is from:_________? Hint

Greek

Arabic

Hebrew

Latin

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Question 6 of 10

6. Skirt is not originally an English word. The English equivalent was shirt.But skirt was the Scottish variant and came from :______ ? Hint

Gaelic

German

Manx

Old Norse

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Question 7 of 10

7. Chocolate has its origin in : ____________ Hint

Inca

Spanish

Aztec

Portuguese

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Question 8 of 10

8. Bamboo came via Portuguese into English. The original word however was mambu, a word for a giant grass in : ___________? Hint

Malay

Chinese

Burmese

Vietnamese

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Question 9 of 10

9. Tea is a word from ___________ Hint

Chinese

Japanese

Turkish

Arabic

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Question 10 of 10

10. Beef, pork,veal and also 'boil' are of course kitchen-terms.From what language originally ?

Answer: (Six letters. (Remember 1066! ))

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 25 2024 : Guest 139: 3/10
Dec 20 2024 : Guest 85: 7/10
Nov 19 2024 : Guest 103: 3/10
Nov 14 2024 : peg-az: 4/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What language did English take the word sauna from?

Answer: Finnish

The origin of a name is often also where the things come from..

2. What language did English get 'deck', 'boss' and 'yacht' from?

Answer: Dutch

The Dutch words are 'dek' (with a vowel similar to the sound of {cat);} 'baas' (with a sound similar to the long vowel of farm) and 'jacht' literally a 'hunting ship'. A fast ship for what the military would call 'rapid deployment'. Also in Russian many terms in sea-navigation are from Dutch.Examples from French :chaloupe from sloep (sloop) {;} babord from bakboord (port or larboard).

3. What language is robot from?

Answer: Czech

From Czech robota.The word literally means 'compulsory service' and ,as the consonant pattern shows, is etymologically related to German 'a-R-B-ei-T'.

4. Marmalade is from : _________ ?

Answer: Portuguese

Marmelo is Portuguese for quince. Marmalade is a preserve made by boiling quinces. Later also oranges.They were boiled till they formed a consistent mass.

5. Index originally meant forefinger and is from:_________?

Answer: Latin

Index is Latin and its meaning developed from 'forefinger' to 'pointer' and later to 'guiding principle'.Of course it can also mean an alphabetical list, and a famous such list was the Index Librum Prohibitorum.

6. Skirt is not originally an English word. The English equivalent was shirt.But skirt was the Scottish variant and came from :______ ?

Answer: Old Norse

The basic meaning of both words is that they were 'short garments'.Shirt is related to short, as can be seen in the Dutch word schort (apron). Also to be seen in the German Schuerze . The k for h or ch is typical of Scotch borrowings from Old Norse: churn is kirn in Scottish and church is kirk.

7. Chocolate has its origin in : ____________

Answer: Aztec

Aztec chocolatl was an article of food made from cacao seeds.It became the name of a beverage made from the seeds of the cacao tree. The correct Aztec word for the beverage was cacaua-atl, but Europeans used the 'food'-word , for the drink as well. Tomato is another Aztec word. Coca and quinine are Inca-words.

8. Bamboo came via Portuguese into English. The original word however was mambu, a word for a giant grass in : ___________?

Answer: Malay

Mambu first became bambus, which was understood as a plural and lost the -s which had mysteriously popped up.

9. Tea is a word from ___________

Answer: Chinese

Mandarin has ch'a for tea. The derivation is however from non-Mandarin Chinese t'e. Dutch still has 'tee'.

10. Beef, pork,veal and also 'boil' are of course kitchen-terms.From what language originally ?

Answer: French

Those terms for what the nobility ate came from {French;} {boeuf;porc;veau;bouillir.} As mentioned in all books on the Norman Conquest, the peasants who worked hard to produce the food used Anglo-Saxon terms:cow,pig,calf and cook.

Source: Author flem-ish

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