A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi : The Origin of Foreign Words Used in English
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Poised over the alabaster neck of his beautiful victim, the vampire sniffed the air. Had she been eating garlic?
Vendetta
blood feud (Italian)
Originating from the Latin word “vindicta,” meaning “revenge,” the Italian term “vendetta” is most associated with Corsica. There it was the name for a social code whereby if a serious wrong was committed against a member of a family, it could only be righted by the murder of the wrongdoer. The word has now come to be used to describe any kind of long-standing grudge.
Hello, I’d like to book an appointment for a fake tan, please, with anyone but Jacqueline. She’s had a vendetta against me since I asked if she’d been tangoed, and I don’t want her deliberately giving me streaks.
Verbatim
word for word (Latin)
This term made its transition into English through the printed word. The full phrase “verbatim et literatim,” meaning “word for word and letter for letter” was used to indicate that a piece of text had been copied precisely, with no alterations to the spelling, grammar, or meaning. It is now most commonly used in spoken English to explain that something someone has said has been repeated exactly.
You know John Lennon didn’t really write “Imagine,” don’t you? In actual fact, I did. I read it at a poetry recital in 1969; he must have been there and copied it down verbatim.
Verboten
forbidden (German)
This word had been an unremarkable feature of the German language from the end of the Middle Ages until the autocratic policies of Wilhelm II and later the Nazis imbued it with sinister undertones. It became familiar to English speakers during World War II, when signs reading “Juden verboten” appeared everywhere, from shop doors to park benches. We now use it in place of “forbidden,” usually when we want to imply an element of authoritarianism.
Have you heard the latest from the new management? No talking between breaks—they’ll have “Laughter is verboten” flashing on our screensavers before we know it.
Verbum satis sapienti
a word is enough for the wise (Latin)
This saying is attributed to the ancient Roman playwright Plautus. It means that just a few words of explanation are adequate to explain a situation or concept to someone who is wise. It is used in English as an alternative to the phrase “enough said.”
Okay, Marge, it’s not brain surgery. Verbum satis sapienti. I’ll feed Felix half a tin of cat food in the morning and half a tin at night.
Via
by way of (Latin)
This is such a commonly used word in English that it seems strange to think of it as foreign, but we owe its usefulness to the ancient Romans, who said in three letters what the English language needs three words for. It is almost synonymous with our word “through,” but it implies more strongly that a solution or destination has been arrived at by dint of a little detour.
The package was sent via overnight mail because it simply had to get there for the next morning’s meeting.
Vice versa
a switched change (Latin)
The term is used to mean that the reverse of the previous statement, with the main items transposed, is also true. It is usually used to imply the complement of a statement without expressing as much in words. For example, “Fish can’t live where we are most comfortable, and vice versa.” It is usually pronounced as spelled, but in fact, the Latin pronunciation is “wee-ce wer-sah.” The first English usage is found in print as early as 1601.
Wives may bring their husbands to the celebration and vice versa (husbands may bring their wives).
Vis-à-vis
face-to-face (French)
This French expression was first used in English in the 1750s with a trio of different meanings. The name given to a carriage in which the passengers sat facing one another with their knees almost touching; a term used to describe a person or object opposite you; and an alternative to “in relation to.” The last of these is how we most commonly use the term today, with the idea that it’s a more stylish substitute for “regarding.”
Hi, Katie! I wondered if I could talk to you vis-à-vis what happened the other night. It’s just that I’d had a few drinks, and I didn’t know if you, you know. So, anyway, give me a call. If you want to. Obviously.
Voilà
see there (French)
This exuberant exclamation comes from the French word “voir,” meaning “to see,” combined with “là,” meaning “there.” It’s used in France and in English-speaking countries when some sort of action has been demonstrated successfully, and it is particularly popular with television chefs, who often deliver it with a smack of the lips as they take a perfect pie out of the oven. The closest equivalent in English is “there you have it,” which doesn’t have quite the same triumphant ring to it.
Simply throw the chicken into a pan with the turmeric and bean sprouts, pop it in the oven for 30 minutes, and voilà!
Vox populi
voice of the people (Latin)
This phrase is a reduced version of “Vox populi, vox dei,” meaning “the voice of the people is the voice of God,” a phrase believed to date back to the eighth century that referred to a belief that the views of the masses should rule the day. Shortened to “vox populi,” it has come to mean “the view of the majority,” or a belief shared by most people. It is often shortened further to “vox pop,” which is now used in broadcasting to describe interviews with members of the public giving their views on a subject.
I know we’re all in agreement, sir, but according to the vox populi, it’s cruel to hunt deer, so we’ll have to stick to shooting clay pigeons, I’m afraid.
W
Wanderlust
desire to travel (German)
This is a blend of German words “wandern,” meaning “to hike,” and “Lust,” meaning “desire.” The word was first used in English in the late-nineteenth century, possibly as a result of our association of German Romanticism with carefree wandering. We still use it to refer to a yearning for the open road.
Pete had always planned to settle down by the time he was thirty, but wanderlust kept gripping him by the throat and dragging him back to mosquito-ridden swamps in far-flung places.
Wunderkind
wonder child (German)
In nineteenth-century Germany this phrase often referred to musical child prodigies such as Mozart and Beethoven, but the phrase has since expanded to include anyone at an early age with a specific skill, art, or talent. A ten-year-old with expert skills in, say, mathematics, chess, or art deserves the title. In English the term has come to include those with remarkable talent or ability who achieve great success or acclaim early in their adult lives. The computer industry has plenty of modern examples.
Troy may be the new wunderkind of alternative theater, but his mother still does his laundry.
Y
Yin and yang
balance of opposites (Chinese)
In Chinese “yin” denotes negative, dark, calm and feminine qualities, “yang” positive, bright, fiery, masculine ones. In Chinese philosophy the concept of yin and yang describes how seemingly opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn. This idea lies at the heart of classical Chinese science and philosophy and is a fundamental principle in traditional Chinese medicine. Many natural dualities—for example, dark and light, female and male, low and high—are cast in Chinese thought in this way and are represented by the symbol ✍.
“Yin and yang is a dynamic equilibrium,” said Huaqing sagely. “Because they arise together, they are always equal; if one disappears, the other must disappear as well, leaving emptiness.”
Z
Zeitgeist
spirit of the time (German)
The word describes the atmosphere of an era but can also refer to a trend. Literally translated: “Zeit” is time; “Geist” spirit. In German the word has more layers of meaning than in English, incl
uding the fact that zeitgeist can only be observed for past events. The English usage is looser, and the word carries a compelling literary ring, for anything that seems to perfectly capture a mood or a trend.
Lots of students in the sixties got caught up in street protests; the zeitgeist of the age compelled it. At least that was Bartholomew’s excuse when he became a judge.
A brief list of sources
A New Dictionary of Eponyms, by Morton S. Freeman, Oxford University Press, 1998.
Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, edited by Robert K. Barnhart, Chambers Harrap, 1999.
Faux Pas? by Philip Gooden, A&C Black, 2007.
Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, edited by C. T. Onions, Oxford University Press, 1966.
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