Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is etymology?
What is etymology?
Etymology is the study of word origins.
What percentage of foreign words in English come from France?
What percentage of foreign words in English come from France?
Approximately 29% of foreign words in English come from France.
What is the origin of the English word 'dollar'?
What is the origin of the English word 'dollar'?
The word 'dollar' has Germanic origins.
How much of the English language vocabulary is derived from the Greek language?
How much of the English language vocabulary is derived from the Greek language?
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What does the Middle Dutch word 'blaren' mean?
What does the Middle Dutch word 'blaren' mean?
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What does the Latin word 'fortis' mean?
What does the Latin word 'fortis' mean?
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Study Notes
English Language Origins
- Many English words are derived from words in other languages.
- Etymology is the study of word origins, providing interesting facts about the diverse words in the English language.
Language Contributions
- 29% of foreign words in English come from France, examples include: ambulance, parachute, and sauce.
- 29% of English words have Latin origins, examples include: agenda, and data.
- 26% of English words have Germanic origins, examples include: dollar, muffin, and kindergarten.
- 6% of English vocabulary comes from the Greek language.
Word Examples
- The word "blare" originated from the Middle Dutch word "blaren", meaning to shout.
- The word "circle" is derived from both Latin and Greek, with the Latin word "circus" meaning circle and the Greek word "kirkos" meaning ring.
- The word "force" comes from the Latin word "fortis", meaning strong.
Language Development
- Learning the origin of every new word acquired is the best way to understand how the language works and to ease the future process of learning.
- English is constantly changing and growing, with the Oxford English Dictionary adding around 500 new words and phrases every year.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the origins of English words and their etymology. Learn fascinating facts about how words in the English language have evolved from other languages over time.
