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Parlez-Vous Inglés, Mein Herr? Quiz

The English language developed with additions from many languages. See if you can figure out the original language of these commonly-used English words.

A multiple-choice quiz by CmdrK. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
CmdrK

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
355,333

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
1087

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. A sauna room can be a very popular place. Do you know which language "sauna" originates from? Hint

Tibetan

Estonian

Finnish

Italian

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Question 2 of 10

2. From which language do we get the word booze?
Hint

French

Gaelic

Portuguese

Dutch

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which of these is a Polish word?
Hint

litchi

chianti

pierogi

duetti

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Question 4 of 10

4. From which non-European language did English speakers acquire the word tycoon?
Hint

Turkish

Japanese

Urdu

Romanian

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Question 5 of 10

5. Would you care for an omelette? From which language did this word become part of the English vocabulary?
Hint

Lithuanian

French

Spanish

Russian

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Question 6 of 10

6. Can you spot the Hawaiian word among the following?
Hint

alumni

woo

arpeggio

wiki

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Award yourself a holiday in a warm area if you can answer this question: which language originated the word boondocks? Hint

Norwegian

Swedish

Inuit

Tagalog

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Question 8 of 10

8. Aye, let's have a shindig! What language does shindig come from? Hint

Scottish Gaelic

Swahili

Farsi

Quechua

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which language do you think the word bagel might have come from? Hint

Yiddish

Czech

Greek

Algonquin

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Question 10 of 10

10. There is a large reptile found in the Americas and China. From what language did the word alligator come?
Hint

Lithuanian

Spanish

Maori

Arabic

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A sauna room can be a very popular place. Do you know which language "sauna" originates from?

Answer: Finnish

"Sauna", a word meaning a room used as a hot-air or steam bath to refresh and clean the body, comes from Finnish. They're great places to be on a cold winter evening. Those of us in the northern latitudes salute the Finns for this most useful invention.

2. From which language do we get the word booze?

Answer: Dutch

Booze is a Dutch word. Actually, it comes from the old Middle Dutch "busen", meaning to drink in excess.

3. Which of these is a Polish word?

Answer: pierogi

"Pierogi" is the Polish word. It is a dumpling of unleavened bread, filled with vegetables or meat, or even fruit, and then boiled or fried. The word means pie; the Proto-Slavic root word is "pir", which means festivity. Either way, this is fun food!

4. From which non-European language did English speakers acquire the word tycoon?

Answer: Japanese

Tycoon is a word of Japanese origin. The Japanese word is "taikun", originally meaning great prince or high commander. It later came to mean a wealthy business leader.

5. Would you care for an omelette? From which language did this word become part of the English vocabulary?

Answer: French

The "omelette" came from France. Beaten eggs cooked quickly in a frying pan, maybe with a filling, and folded over - mmm, mmm!

6. Can you spot the Hawaiian word among the following?

Answer: wiki

The Hawaiian word is "wiki" meaning quick. We may be most familiar with it from Wikipedia, as in looking up information quickly. In Hawaii it is often said twice in a row, meaning quick-quick. If you want to go to Honolulu Airport you may have to take a "wiki-wiki" taxi.

7. Award yourself a holiday in a warm area if you can answer this question: which language originated the word boondocks?

Answer: Tagalog

Boondocks is Tagalog, a language from the Philippines. It comes from one of two words: "bundok", which means "mountain" or "bunduk", meaning land away from the seashore.

8. Aye, let's have a shindig! What language does shindig come from?

Answer: Scottish Gaelic

Shindig comes from the Scottish Gaelic word "sinteag". It means to skip or jump around.

9. Which language do you think the word bagel might have come from?

Answer: Yiddish

Bagel comes from the Yiddish word "beygl". It is a ring-shaped roll made by boiling and then baking dough. Many toppings go well with bagels and they all taste good!

10. There is a large reptile found in the Americas and China. From what language did the word alligator come?

Answer: Spanish

Alligator came from the Spanish phrase "el lagarto". It literally means the lizard.

Source: Author CmdrK

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
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