Buzz
English owes a large portion of its vocabulary to French, Latin, and Germanic languages, with another notable contribution from Greek. However, it’s also been enriched by the unique and unconventional loanwords from languages like Quechua, Japanese, Swahili, Sanskrit, and more. These non-European languages have played a key role in expanding the English lexicon with some distinct and fascinating words.
10. Bantu Tongues
Let’s begin with Bantu, a language family spoken across sub-Saharan Africa, spanning from Cameroon to Kenya. While their influence on English is relatively small, a few interesting words have emerged, most famously “jumbo” and “zombie.”
The word “Jumbo” is believed to come from either the Swahili term jumbe, meaning “chief,” or the Kongo word nzamba, which translates to “elephant.” It entered English in the 1880s, named after a massive African elephant featured in P.T. Barnum’s “Greatest Show on Earth.” In 1882, Barnum bought Jumbo from London’s Regent’s Park Zoo and brought him to the U.S., where the elephant performed for three years before tragically being struck and killed by a freight train.
As for the term “zombie,” some believe it came from Louisiana Creole, derived from the Spanish word sombra, meaning “shade” or “ghost.” However, other experts suggest the word originates from Bantu languages, possibly the Kikongo word zumbi, meaning “fetish,” or the Kimbundu word nzambi, meaning “god.” In Haitian Creole, influenced by West African languages, the term “zombi” refers to the “spirit of the dead.”
9. Tagalog, Malay & Austronesian Languages
You might have thought that the term “boondocks” was a peculiar compound noun created to describe the remote, rural areas it refers to. However, the word actually originated from the Philippines, brought back by American soldiers in the early 20th century. US troops occupied the Philippines between the Spanish-American War and World War II, during which they adopted the Tagalog word bundok, meaning “mountain.”
The word “cooties,” for instance, traces its roots to the Malay word kutu, meaning “dog tick.” As for “yo-yo,” it became a trademark in the US and Canada in the 1930s, but its origins—and likely the concept of the toy—come from the Philippines. And while we’re on the subject of Malay, the word “sarong” comes from a term meaning “to sheath.”
Several flora and fauna-related loanwords also come from the wide array of languages along the Pacific Rim. Notably, “orangutan” comes directly from pidgin Malay and literally translates to “forest man.”
8. Chinese
Chinese has had a lasting influence on both the culinary and martial arts worlds. Think of terms like “kung fu” and “tai chi,” “wonton” and “lo mein.” But Chinese also contributed several words that are less immediately noticeable.
For instance, the word “ketchup” is believed to have arrived in English via Malay, which borrowed it from the Chinese term for “brine of fish.” Initially, in English, the term referred to various sauces and gravies before it adopted its modern meaning in the early 20th century. Similarly, the Chinese word dafeng, meaning “great wind,” was borrowed by Greek, and eventually evolved into the English word “typhoon.”
The term “kowtow” comes from a Chinese expression meaning to “knock the head,” referring to the act of showing respect by touching one’s forehead to the ground. “Koan” entered English through Japanese, from the Chinese word gongan, meaning “public proposal.” The term “brainwash” is a direct translation of the Chinese xi nao and entered the English language during the Korean War.
7. Japanese
Much like Chinese, the Japanese language has contributed a wealth of loanwords to English that have become quite familiar. Think of terms like bonsai, hibachi, and gingko. Daily language includes words like emoji, soy, and sushi, while others like origami, futon, bento, and sumo are also common. Interestingly, most of these words retain the same meaning in both languages, though some have intriguing origins.
The word “karaoke” originally referred to an “empty orchestra.” Meanwhile, “karate,” which shares the same first syllable, translates to “empty hand,” as this martial art was intended to be practiced without weapons. Similarly, “judo” and “jujitsu” both carry the meaning of “soft way” and “soft technique,” respectively. And the term “tsunami” literally means “harbor wave.”
A lesser-known contribution from Japanese is the word “tycoon,” derived from the original taikun, meaning “great prince” or “high commander.” Foreigners visiting Japan in the 1850s used this term to describe the shogun, the country’s ruler. Following World War I, it evolved into its modern meaning of a powerful business magnate.
Another unexpected word is “emoji.” At first, it may seem like a variation of the English word “emotion,” but in reality, it means “picture letter” in Japanese.
6. Russian
Those who believe that Asia begins at the Ural Mountains may argue that Russian isn’t truly a “non-European” language. However, compared to the Germanic and Romance language groups, it remains quite distant from English. Russian has contributed several intriguing loanwords to English. Beyond the well-known “babushka” and “gulag,” we find a rich array of less obvious terms.
The word “mammoth” was first used to refer to an animal whose remains were discovered in Siberia in the late 17th century. It is believed that the word may come from the Russian term for “earth.” In the early 1800s, it was used as an adjective to describe a massive cheese wheel—weighing 560 kilograms (1,234 lbs)—that was presented to Thomas Jefferson by the women of a Baptist church in Cheshire, Massachusetts.
The term “vigorish,” which refers to the fee you pay a bookie when placing a bet, comes to us via Yiddish from a Russian-Ukrainian word meaning “winnings” or “profit.” And of course, the word vodka derives from the Russian word voda, meaning “water.”
5. Tupi-Guarani Languages
The Tupi-Guarani language group is native to what is now Brazil. During the colonial era, one of these languages became the lingua franca for trade between Europeans and the indigenous population, with some linguists referring to it as “Jesuit Tupi.”
Many of the Tupi-Guarani contributions to English relate to names of plants and animals, which were passed through Spanish, French, and Portuguese. For example, the word “cougar” originates from a Tupi-Guarani word meaning “deer-like.” Similarly, “tapioca” entered English from a Tupi-Guarani term meaning “juice squeezed out” or “pulp.”
However, there are notable exceptions among the Tupi-Guarani words. A prime example is the word “buccaneer.” The French term boucanier referred to a person who used a boucan, a type of grill for smoking meat that the locals called a mukem. Originally, buccaneers were French hunters who settled in areas of the Caribbean under Spanish rule. In the 1690s, when Spain expelled them, these hunters turned to piracy, giving the word its current meaning.
4. Other Native American Languages
Like the Tupi language, the indigenous languages of what is now the United States and Canada have contributed a significant number of words related to New World flora and fauna. These include a diverse range of species, such as caribou, chipmunk, hickory, moose, coyote, persimmon, and skunk.
The term 'barbecue' has connections to 'buccaneer.' Its Arawak origins (from Haiti) specifically refer to the 'boucan' grill. The word 'cannibal' is derived from the Arawak term 'kalingo,' meaning 'brave ones,' which originally described the Caribbean people. Europeans, however, mistakenly assumed the natives consumed human flesh. (Interestingly, the Old English term for 'cannibal' was 'selfaeta.') The word 'tobacco' also originates from Arawak.
Nahuatl, a language spoken in Mexico and commonly known as Aztec, is still in use today by approximately 1.5 million people. This language has given us many words, including 'chocolate,' 'tomato,' and 'mescal' (which originally referred to 'cooked maguey'). The word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl term 'ahuacatl,' which also means 'testicle.'
The South American language Quechua has contributed several words to English, including 'llama,' 'jerky,' 'quinoa,' and 'quinine'—the latter of which is derived from 'kina,' meaning 'bark.' And if you're in the mood to light up a cigar, you can thank the Maya, as the word 'cigar' is likely derived from their term 'sicar,' which means 'to smoke.'
3. Sanskrit, Hindi & Urdu
Arabic has contributed a vast number of loanwords to English, but Sanskrit, along with its two modern variants—Hindi and Urdu—are among the most influential. The words they have given to English are varied and not easily categorized.
The Hindi word 'jangal' gave us the English term 'jungle,' and originally referred to a desert, forest, or wasteland. The Urdu word 'khaki,' meaning 'dusty,' is another contribution. Additionally, 'juggernaut' comes from the Sanskrit word 'Jagannatha,' meaning 'lord of the world,' which refers to a Hindu deity.
'Chess' comes directly from the French term 'esches,' though the original Sanskrit word for the game, 'chaturanga,' is quite similar. It translates to 'four members of an army,' referring to the chess pieces of elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers, all of which are other than the king and queen.
The word 'Karma' in Sanskrit signifies 'action,' 'effect,' 'act,' or 'deed.' 'Loot' comes directly from the Hindi term for 'booty' or 'stolen property,' which has its roots in the Sanskrit word meaning 'to steal.' The Sanskrit word 'mantra' means 'instrument of thought' and comes from the verb meaning 'to think.' Finally, amusingly, 'pundit' is derived from the Sanskrit 'pandita,' meaning 'learned man.'
2. Arabic
Arabic is one of the most prolific non-European sources of words adopted into the English language. We've previously discussed '10 interesting examples' of Arabic loanwords, but that barely scratches the surface. The Oxford English Dictionary contains nearly 1,000 words derived from Arabic.
Consider the words 'cipher' and 'zero.' They entered English through Latin, originating from the Arabic term 'sifr.' Before the eighth century, Europeans had no concept of zero. However, after the Moors conquered Spain, the Arabic system of numbers began to spread throughout Europe.
The phrase 'to drub' (as in 'He took a drubbing in the debate') comes from the Arabic word 'daraba,' meaning 'to beat up.' The word 'monsoon' reached English through Dutch and Portuguese, derived from the Arabic 'mawsim,' meaning 'season.' And the term 'Sahara'—while referring to a specific region in English—comes from the Arabic word 'sahra,' which simply means 'desert.'
1. Persian
Persian occupies an interesting position on this list. Like English, it originates from Proto-Indo-European, which explains why there are many similarities between the two languages. Words such as 'mother,' 'father,' 'daughter,' 'brother,' and 'name' have cognates in modern Farsi. However, some words made their way from Persian to English as genuine loanwords.
In Persian, 'limu' is a general term for 'citrus fruits,' from which we get the word 'lemon.' The word 'mummy' traveled through Latin and Arabic, originating from the Persian term for 'wax.' 'Candy' comes from the Persian 'qandi,' meaning sugar, and might also have roots in Sanskrit. The word 'caravan' is derived from the Persian 'karwan,' meaning 'a group of desert travelers.' 'Kiosk' originates from the Persian 'kushk,' which refers to a 'palace' or 'pavilion.' The Persian word that gave us 'julep' literally translates to 'rose water,' and 'pajamas' comes from a term meaning 'leg garments.'
