English words from Latin
58 English words with Latin in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
alcohol
The word is borrowed from Medieval Latin alcohol (“powdered ore of antimony”), from Arabic اَلْكُحْل (al-kuḥl, “the kohl”), from al- “the” + kuḥl, the fine powder used to darken the eyelids, from…
algebra
Recorded in English from the mid-16th century, borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra, or via Italian algebra, from Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “the reunion of broken parts”), from jabara “to reunite…
alibi
It is borrowed from Latin alibī (“elsewhere”), a locative form of Latin alius (“other”), from Proto-Indo-European *al- (“beyond”). Wiktionary suggests the use followed French alibi.
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…
calculate
It is borrowed from Latin calculātus, past participle of Latin calculāre (“to reckon, compute”), from Latin calculus (“small stone used in reckoning”), diminutive of Latin calx (“small stone…
candidate
First recorded c. 1600, borrowed from Latin candidātus (“clothed in white; candidate for office”), from Latin candidus (“white”). The name alludes to the white toga worn by candidates for office in…
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…
cynic
It is borrowed from Latin cynicus (perhaps partly via Middle French cynique), from Ancient Greek κυνικός (kunikós, “dog-like, currish”), from Ancient Greek κύων (kúōn, “dog”), from…
decimate
It is borrowed from Latin decimātus, past participle of Latin decimāre (“to punish every tenth man chosen by lot; to tithe”), from Latin decimus (“tenth”), from Latin decem (“ten”), from…
delirium
It is borrowed from Latin dēlīrium (“madness”), from Latin dēlīrāre (“to be deranged, crazy”), literally “to leave the furrow” in ploughing, from dē- “off, away” + līra “furrow”, from…
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…
eccentric
From Middle English eccentrik (“orbit not centred on the earth”), borrowed from Medieval Latin eccentricus, from Ancient Greek ἔκκεντρος (ékkentros, “out of the centre”), from ek “out of” + kéntron…
egregious
First recorded c. 1534, borrowed from Latin ēgregius (“distinguished, excellent, extraordinary”), from the phrase ex grege “rising above the flock”, from ē- “out of” + grex “herd, flock”, from…
emancipate
First recorded in the 1620s, borrowed from Latin ēmancipātus, past participle of Latin ēmancipāre, from ē- “out” + mancipium “ownership”, itself from manus “hand” + capere “to take”.
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…
enthusiasm
It is borrowed from Late Latin enthūsiasmus (also via Middle French enthousiasme), from Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιασμός (enthousiasmós, “divine inspiration”), from Ancient Greek ἐνθουσιάζω (enthousiázō…
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…
fiasco
It comes via French faire fiasco from Italian far fiasco “to make a bottle”, that is, to fail, from Italian fiasco (“bottle, flask”), from Late Latin flascō (“bottle”).
gymnasium
First recorded in 1598, borrowed from Latin gymnasium (“exercise ground, school”), from Ancient Greek γυμνάσιον (gumnásion), from Ancient Greek γυμνάζω (gumnázō, “to train naked”), from Ancient…
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…
inaugurate
First recorded c. 1600, borrowed from Latin inaugurātus, past participle of Latin inaugurāre (“to consecrate or install after taking auguries”), from in- + augurāre “to take auguries”, from augur…
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.
lethargy
From Middle English litargie, borrowed from Medieval Latin litargia, from Late Latin lēthargia, from Ancient Greek ληθαργία (lēthargía, “forgetfulness”), from Ancient Greek λήθαργος (lḗthargos…
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…
lupus
borrowed from Latin lupus.
meander
It is borrowed from Latin maeander (“a winding course”), from Ancient Greek μαίανδρος (maíandros), from Maíandros, the name of a river in Asia Minor (now the Menderes) noted for its winding course.…
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…
muscle
Recorded from the late 14th century, borrowed from Latin mūsculus (“muscle, literally little mouse”), partly via Middle French muscle, diminutive of Latin mūs (“mouse”). Some muscles were thought to…
nausea
It is borrowed from Latin nausea (“seasickness”), from Ancient Greek ναυσία (nausía, “seasickness”), literally “ship-sickness”, from naûs “ship”, from Proto-Indo-European *nau- (“boat”).
nauseous
Formed from English nausea + -ous, or borrowed from Latin nauseōsus.
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”.
nostalgia
Recorded in English in 1726, borrowed from New Latin nostalgia, coined in 1688 by Johannes Hofer in a dissertation at the University of Basel as a rendering of German Heimweh (“homesickness”). It is…
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…
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…
quarantine
It is borrowed from Italian quarantina, from Italian quaranta giorni “space of forty days”, from Italian quaranta (“forty”), from Latin quadrāgintā (“forty”). The name comes from the Venetian…
recipe
It is borrowed from Latin recipe (“take!”), the second-person singular imperative of Latin recipere (“to take, receive”), which physicians wrote at the head of prescriptions. It was used in English…
rival
It is borrowed from Latin rīvālis (“rival in love; neighbour”), originally “one using the same stream as another”, from Latin rīvus (“stream, brook”), from Proto-Indo-European *rei- (“to run…
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…
sarcasm
It is borrowed from Late Latin sarcasmus, from Ancient Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmós, “a sneer”), from Ancient Greek σαρκάζω (sarkázō, “to tear flesh, gnash the teeth, speak bitterly”), from Ancient…
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…
sycophant
It is borrowed from Latin sȳcophanta (“informer, slanderer”), from Ancient Greek συκοφάντης (sūkophántēs, “false accuser, slanderer”), literally “fig-shower”, from Ancient Greek σῦκον (sûkon, “fig”)…
tantalize
First recorded in 1597, from English Tantalus + -ize, after the mythical king Tantalus (from Latin Tantalus, from Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos)), who was punished in the underworld by standing…
terrific
First recorded in 1667, in Milton, borrowed from Latin terrificus (“causing terror, frightful”), from terrēre “to frighten” + -ficus “making”, from facere “to make”, from Proto-Indo-European *dhe-…
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…
trivial
It is borrowed from Latin triviālis (“commonplace, vulgar; literally of the crossroads”), from Latin trivium (“place where three roads meet”), from tri- “three” + via “road”. The sense connection is…
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…
vaccine
It is borrowed from Latin vaccīnus (“of cows”), from Latin vacca (“cow”). The word comes from variolae vaccīnae “cowpox”, the term used by Edward Jenner in his treatise of 1798.
vandal
Named after the Vandals, the Germanic tribe that sacked Rome in 455 under Genseric. It is borrowed from Late Latin Vandalus (plural Vandalī), a Latinized tribal name of Germanic origin, perhaps from…
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”).