Climbing the Tower of Babel, 7th Floor Quiz

Answer: Nose

Nariz is the Portuguese, Spanish and Galician word for nose, as is nez in French, Nase in German, Nef in Icelandic, deguns in Latvian and trwyn in Welsh. The Modern English noun nose derives from the Old English noun nosu. It, in turn, descended from the Old Nose nos, the Old Frisian nose, and perhaps the Old High German nasa. To have one's "nose out of joint" is an expression dating from the 16th Century.

Answer: Silver

Asími is Greek for silver, as is plata in Spanish, prata in Portuguese, fidda in Maltese, argent in French and srebro in Polish. The modern English word silver is related rather directly to the Old Saxon silvbar, the Old Norse silfr, and the Dutch zilver. The Latin argentum explains the scientific abbreviation for the chemical silver: Ag.

Answer: Cat

Kissa is Finnish for cat, as is chat in French, cica in Hungarian, gatto in Italian, kedi in Turkish, and ngeru in Maori. The Old English word for a domesticated feline is catt; it is very old, dating from around 700 CE. It is related to the Dutch kat and the German Katze.

The Late Latin is cattus. "Cat burglar" (so called for the stealth with which the crime is accomplished) appears in 1907.

Answer: Suitcase

Kuffert is Danish for suitcase, as is matkalaukku in Finnish, valixhe in Albanian, valise in French, valigia in Italian, lagaminas in Lithuanian and koper in Javanese. The Modern English suitcase is a compound noun from ca. 1898. Suit refers to a set of matched garments; case refers to a container, an outer protective covering.

The alternative English term valise comes directly from the Middle French where it meant a soldier's kit bag.

Answer: Milk

The Dutch word for milk is melk, as is lait in French, latte in Italian, halib in Arabic, susu in Indonesian, and lakto in Esperanto. The Modern English milk descends from the Old English milc which is related to lots of Germanic words, e.g. the Old Norse mjolk, the Old Saxon miluk, and the German Milch.

The notion of a land abounding in "milk and honey" comes from a description of the Promised Land in the Old Testament Book of Numbers 16:13.

Answer: Candle

Ljuts is the Swedish word for candle, as is stearinlys in Danish, bougie in French, Kerze in German, coinneal in Irish, vela in Spanish and lumânare in Romanian. The Old English candel was borrowed from the Ecclesiastical Latin candela which was formed from the Latin verb candere which means to shine. Interestingly, the Arabic is Arabic qandil. "To burn a candle at both ends" originates in 1730 but culminates in Edna St. Vincent Millay's 1918 poem: "My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends - It gives a lovely light!"

Answer: Postmark

Poststempel is the Danish, Dutch, Norwegian and Afrikaans word for postmark, as is timbro postale in Italian, pasta zimogs in Latvian, carimbo postal in Portuguese and matasellos in Spanish. The Modern English word postmark is a compound noun. Since the 16th century, post has been associated with the physical delivery of messages. Mark, in the sense of a sign on a boundary, dates from the Old English and has grown to mean an impression drawn or printed. The modern sense of postmark is an overprinting which cancels the value/utility of a postage stamp once it has been used.

Answer: Snake

Inyoka is the Zulu word for snake, as is thueban in Arabic, slange in Danish, Schlange in German, slang in both Dutch and Norwegian, and serpiente in Spanish. The Old English noun snaca derived from the Old Norse snakr and perhaps the Old German Schnake.

In terms of modern usage, snake has gained the popularity which serpent has lost. "Snake in the grass" dates from 37 BC: "Latet anguis in herba." Virgil, Eclogues, Book III, line 93.

Answer: Wheat

Trigo is the Galician, Portuguese, Spanish and Filipino word for wheat, as is grano in Italian, vete in Swedish, hvede in Danish and triticum in Latin. The noun wheat entered Old English as hweate from several Proto-Germanic languages. All of those words have some connection with the colour white, as well.

This is perhaps in reference to the colour of ground wheat flour. The trademarked name "Wheaties" was not patented until 1925.

Answer: Holiday

The Catalan and Galician word for holiday is festa, as is fiesta in Spanish, ferie in Danish and Norwegian, dovolenka in Slovak, feriado in Portuguese and argía in Greek. The Modern English noun holiday derives directly from the Old English halidaeg meaning holy day in the sense of an occasion of religious observance.

The use of the term diverged, especially in British English, to mean any sort of occasion for time off from work and for vacationing. This is often expressed as being "on holiday" or "on holidays." The noun has also been (barbarically) verbed; "to holiday" means to enjoyably pass vacation days.