6 Questions
What percentage of foreign words in the English language comes from France?
29%
Which language contributes around 29% of the English language words?
Latin
Which language contributes around 26% of the English language words?
Germanic
What language makes up roughly 6% of the English vocabulary?
Greek
What is the origin of the word 'circle'?
Latin and Greek
What language does the word 'distant' originate from?
French
Study Notes
Origins of English Words
- English words are derived from other languages, with information on their derivation found in collegiate dictionaries.
Language Contributions to English Vocabulary
- 29% of foreign words come from France, examples: ambulance, parachute, sauce
- 29% of words have Latin origins, examples: agenda, data
- 26% of the English language has Germanic origins, examples: dollar, muffin, kindergarten
- 6% of the English language comes from Greek, with ongoing additions from languages worldwide
Word Origins
- blare: from Middle Dutch blaren, meaning to shout
- circle: from Latin circus, meaning circle, and Greek kirkos, meaning ring
- distant: from French distant, meaning remote
- espionage: from French espion, meaning spy
- force: from Latin fortis, meaning strong
Explore the origins of English words and how they are derived from other languages such as Old English, Latin, and French. Learn about the history behind common English words like ambulance, parachute, and sauce.
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