French words in English
Restaurant, café, cuisine, tennis (!) * see later for linguistic ‘journey’, government, law, army, art, literature … what do these words have in common?
Around 30% of English words come from the language of love
Some of these French phrases in English (otherwise known as cognates!) are borrowed directly from the French language, while others have evolved from French origins
Why are there French words in the English language?
The origin of the English language is a topic linguists love to debate
Although English is a Germanic language, it shares a lot of vocabulary with French – a Romance language
But why?
The Norman Conquest of 1066 was a key event that led to French words being used in England
Following the conquest, England was ruled by the Normans who spoke a northern form of Old French called Anglo-Norman French
Under Norman rule, Anglo-Norman French began to influence the language of administration, law and culture in England, and hence making its mark on the English language
Since then, French phrases and words continued to make their way into the English language
How many French words are there in English?
There exists around 7,000 French words in the English language at present
There were plenty more English words that came from French (and typically Latin) roots originally – around 10,000, to be exact
Do any examples come to mind?
Allowance – from the Old French word alouance (payment)
Apostrophe – from the French word apostrophe
Aviation – from the French word aviation
Bachelor – from the Anglo-Norman word bacheler (bachelier in modern French)
Bureau – from the French word bureau (desk, office)
Cabaret – from the French word cabaret
Cadet – from the French word cadet
Chic – from the French word chic (elegant)
Cliché – from the French word cliché
Connoisseur – from the French word connoisseur
Cul-de-sac – from the French word cul-de-sac (bottom of the bag/sack)
Debris – from the French word débris (broken, crumbled)
Déjà vu – from the French words déjà (already) and vu (seen – past participle of ‘voir’)
Delegate – from the Old French word delegat
Detour – from the French word détour (from détourner)
Dossier – from the French word dossier
Elite – from the Old French word elit (chosen)
Energy – from the Middle French word énergie
Envisage – from the French word envisager
Expatriate – from the French word expatrier
Facade – from the French word façade
Faux, as in faux fur – from the French word faux (false)
Fiancé – from the French word fiancé
Film noir – from the French word film noir (a film genre)
Gallery – from the Old French word galerie
Gastronomy – from the French word gastronomie
Gazette – from the French word gazette
Heritage – from the Old French word eritage (héritage in modern French)
Homage – from the Old French word homage
Hotel – from the French word hôtel
Identity – from the Middle French word identité
Illusion – from the Old French word illusion
Insult – from the Middle French words insult (noun) and insulter (verb)
Irony – from the Middle French word ironie
Jubilee – from the Middle French word jubile (modern French jubilé)
Kilogram – from the French word kilogramme
Lacrosse – from the Canadian French word la crosse (the stick)
Liaison – from the French word liaison
Literature – from the Old French word littérature
Machine – from the Middle French word machine
Magnificent – from the Middle French word magnificent
Massage – from the French word massLearn more French words and phrases, and get to understand the dishes on the menu in French, plus how to order easily with Busuu’s new travel courses and free vocabulary reviews!
Metabolism – from the French word métabolisme
Metro – from the French word métro
Musketeer – from the French word mousquetaire
Navy – from the Old French word navie
Neutral – from the Middle French word neutral
Nocturnal – from the Middle French word nocturnal
Novel – from the Old French word novel
Occasion – from the Middle French word occasion
Optimism – from the French word optimisme
Parasol – from the French word parasol
Poetic – from the Middle French word poétique
Premiere – from the French word première
Purify – from the Old French word purifier
Recipient – from the Middle French word récipient
Reservoir – from the French word ‘réservoir’ (collection place)
Restaurant – from the French word restaurant
Ricochet – from the French word ricochet
Rich – from the French word riche
Ridicule – from the French word ridicule
Risqué – from the French word risqué
Sabotage – from the French word sabotage
Salad – from the French word salade
Sentiment – from the Old French word sentement
Silhouette – from the French word silhouette
Solicitor – from the Middle French word soliciteur
Souvenir – from the French word souvenir (memory)
Soup – from the French word soupe
Technique – from the French word technique
Television – from the French word télévision
Tournament – from the Old French word tornoiement (tournoi in modern French)
Uniform – from the Middle French word uniforme
Utensil – from the Old French word utensile
Valid – from the Middle French word valide
Variety – from the Middle French word varieté
Zest – from the French word zeste
* Tennis (borrowed from French, then reloaned outre-Manche!)
From Online etymology dictionary
tennis (n.)
mid-14c., most likely from Anglo-French tenetz “hold! receive! take!," from Old French tenez, imperative of tenir “to hold, receive, take”, which was used as a call from the server to the opponent. The original version of the game (a favourite sport of medieval French knights) was played by striking the ball with the palm of the hand, and in Old French was called la paulme, literally “the palm”; but to an onlooker the service cry would naturally seem to identify the game.
The use of the word for the modern game is from 1874, short for lawn tennis, which originally was called sphairistike (1873), from Greek sphairistike (tekhnē) “(skill) in playing at ball,”; from the root of sphere. It was invented, and named, by Maj. Walter C. Wingfield and first played at a garden party in Wales, inspired by the popularity of badminton.
The name ‘sphairistike,’ however, was impossible (if only because people would pronounce it as a word of three syllables to rhyme with ‘pike’) and it was soon rechristened. [Times of London, June 10, 1927]
Fun bite
Conjugation of regular -er verb fumer
Je fume, tu fumes, il/elle fume, nous toussons, vous toussez, ils/elles toussent
