English words from French
34 English words with French in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
ambulance
It is borrowed from French ambulance, which replaced hôpital ambulant “walking hospital”, from Latin ambulāns (“walking”), present participle of Latin ambulāre (“to walk, go about”).
assassin
It is borrowed from French assassin or Italian assassino, from Medieval Latin assassīnus, from Arabic حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn, “hashish users”), plural of ḥaššāš “hashish user”, from ḥašīš “hashish”.…
budget
From Middle English bouget (“wallet”), borrowed from Old French bougette, diminutive of bouge “leather bag”, from Latin bulga (“leather bag”), a word of Gaulish origin, ultimately from…
capricious
It is borrowed from Middle French capricieux (“whimsical”), from Italian capriccioso, from Italian capriccio. By surface analysis, from English caprice + -ious.
cliché
It is borrowed from French cliché, the past participle of French clicher (“to make a stereotype plate”) used as a noun, a variant of cliquer “to click”, said to imitate the sound of the matrix…
companion
From Middle English compaignon, borrowed from Old French compaignon, from Late Latin compāniō (“messmate”) (accusative compāniōnem), ultimately from Latin com- (“with, together”) + pānis (“bread”)…
curfew
From Middle English curfeu, borrowed from Anglo-Norman coeverfu, from Old French cuevrefeu (“cover fire”) (modern French couvre-feu), from cuevre, imperative of covrir “to cover”, + feu “fire”, the…
dandelion
From Middle English dent-de-lioun, borrowed from Old French dent de lion (“lion's tooth”), a translation of Medieval Latin dēns leōnis, from Latin dēns “tooth” and leōnis, genitive of leō “lion”.…
disaster
It is borrowed from Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro (“ill-starred”), from pejorative dis- + astro “star”, from Latin astrum (“star”), from Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron, “star”)…
dismal
From Middle English dismal, originally a noun meaning “unlucky days”, borrowed from Anglo-Norman dismal (mid-13th century), apparently from Old French dis mal “evil days”, from Medieval Latin diēs…
enormity
Recorded from the late 15th century, borrowed from Middle French énormité, from Old French enormité “extravagance, atrocity, heinous sin”, from Latin ēnormitās (“hugeness; irregularity”), from Latin…
escape
From Middle English escapen, borrowed from Old Northern French escaper (Central Old French eschaper, modern French échapper), from Vulgar Latin *excappāre (“to get out of one’s cape”), from Latin…
hazard
From Middle English hasard (“a game at dice”), borrowed from Old French hasard, hasart “game of chance played with dice” (12th century), of uncertain origin. It is often traced via Old Spanish azar…
hectic
From Middle English etik, borrowed from Old French etique (“consumptive”), from Late Latin hecticus, from Ancient Greek ἑκτικός (hektikós, “habitual; consumptive”), from Ancient Greek ἕξις (héxis…
hypocrite
From Middle English ypocrite, borrowed from Old French ypocrite, from Ecclesiastical Latin hypocrita, from Ancient Greek ὑποκριτής (hupokritḗs, “stage actor; pretender, dissembler”), from…
idiot
From Middle English idiote (“ignorant person”), borrowed from Old French idiote (“uneducated or ignorant person”), from Latin idiōta (“ordinary person, layman”), from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs…
jeopardy
From Middle English iuparti, borrowed from Old French jeu parti (“divided game, even game”), hence “uncertain chance, uncertainty”, originally a term of chess and similar games. The French phrase is…
jovial
It is borrowed from Middle French jovial, from Italian gioviale, from Late Latin Ioviālis (“of Jupiter”), from Latin Iovis, Jupiter.
lunatic
From Middle English lunatik, borrowed from Old French lunatique, from Late Latin lūnāticus (“moonstruck”), from Latin lūna (“moon”), from the belief that changes of the moon caused intermittent…
melancholy
From Middle English malencolie, borrowed from Old French melancolie (“black bile; ill disposition”), from Late Latin melancholia, from Ancient Greek μελαγχολία (melankholía, “condition of having…
mentor
It is borrowed from French mentor, an appellative use of the name of Ancient Greek Μέντωρ (Méntōr), the friend of Odysseus and adviser of Telemachus in the Odyssey. The name has the form of an agent…
mortgage
From Middle English morgage, borrowed from Old French mort gage (“dead pledge”) (13th century), from mort “dead” (from Latin mortuus) + gage “pledge”, of Germanic origin. The -t- was restored in…
nice
From Middle English nice (“foolish, stupid”), borrowed from Old French nice (“simple, foolish, silly”), from Latin nescius (“ignorant, not knowing”), from ne- “not” + scīre “to know”.
panache
It is borrowed from Middle French pennache, from Italian pennacchio, from Late Latin pinnāculum (“small wing”), diminutive of Latin pinna “feather, wing”. The modern spelling follows French panache.
panic
It is borrowed from Middle French panique, from Ancient Greek πανικός (panikós, “of Pan”), from Ancient Greek Πάν (Pán), god of woods and fields. Sounds heard by night on mountains and in valleys…
pedigree
From Middle English pedegru, borrowed from Anglo-Norman pé de grue (“crane's foot”), a variant of Old French pied de gru, from Latin pēs “foot” + grūs “crane”.
quaint
Recorded from c. 1200 as cointe, cwointe; the modern spelling dates from the early 14th century. From Middle English queinte, borrowed from Old French cointe (“knowledgeable, clever; elegant…
sabotage
It is borrowed from French sabotage, from French saboter (“to walk noisily; to bungle”), from French sabot (“wooden shoe”). The OED glosses saboter as “to make a noise with sabots, to perform or…
salary
From Middle English salarie, borrowed from Anglo-Norman salarie, compare Old French salaire, from Latin salārium (“pension, salary”), a noun use of the neuter of Latin salārius (“pertaining to…
sincere
First recorded in the 1530s, borrowed from Middle French sincere, from Latin sincērus (“whole, clean, pure; genuine”), a word of uncertain origin. Watkins explains it as originally “of one growth”…
sinister
From Middle English sinistre (“unfavourable, unlucky”), borrowed from Old French senestre, sinistre “left; contrary, unfavourable”, from Latin sinister (“on the left side; unlucky, inauspicious”), a…
tragedy
From Middle English tragedie, borrowed from Old French tragedie, from Latin tragoedia, from Ancient Greek τραγῳδία (tragōidía), apparently “goat song”, from trágos “goat” + ōidḗ “song”. According to…
umpire
From Middle English noumpere (“arbitrator, mediator”), borrowed from Old French nonper (“odd number, not even”), from non “not” + per “equal”, from Latin pār (“equal”). The idea is of an odd third…
villain
From Middle English vilein, vilain, borrowed from Old French vilein (“peasant, farmer, commoner”), from Medieval Latin villānus (“farmhand”), from Latin villa (“country house, farm”).