Jennifer Speake
8,000 entries
This is a guide to foreign words and phrases that have come into regular use in today's English. Each entry gives the language of origin of each word, its pronunciation, date of introduction into English, its meaning, and notes on usage and other points of interest. Quotations throughout illustrate the way in which words are used in today's English.
From Aboriginal to Afrikaans, Hebrew to Hindustani, Polish to Portuguese, the origins of words from a wide variety of languages are covered, including, for example, blitzkrieg, fandango, futon, acapella, bagel, intifada, and jojoba, as well as more common words such as basmati, bistro, falsetto, and nouvelle cuisine.
Jennifer Speake is a freelance writer. She is the editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms, also available on Oxford Reference Online.
