Words to Know from Idiomatic Sources/Expressions and Places Flashcards
bantam
“miniature, diminutive” - from Bantam, a village in west Java in Indonesia, where
this chicken is supposed to have originated.
bayonet
“a dagger-like weapon fitted onto the front of a rifle” - from French baionette, from
the French city of Bayonne, where the weapon was first made or used.
bungalow
“a one-story dwelling with a low-sloping roof and wide veranda” - from Hindustani
bengla, which means “belonging to Bengal, or Bengalese.”
bunk
“nonsense” - a clip from bunkum; also spelled buncombe, from Buncombe County,
North Carolina, whose congressman F. Walker, of the 16th Congress (1819-21), made tiresome
speeches, “for Buncombe.”
currant
“small, seedless raisin or acid berry” - originally raisins de Corauntz, through AngloFrench,
from French raisins de Corinths, which means “raisins of Corinth.”
dollar
“unit of currency” - from German taler, a clip of joachimstaler (or -thaler; the German
‘th’ is pronounced like ‘t’), a coin minted at Joachimsthal in Bohemia.
gypsy
(also British gipsy) “an independent or itinerant worker” - a shortened and altered form
of Egyptian, from a belief that gypsies originally came from Egypt.
magenta
“a purplish shade of red” - from the town of Magenta in northern Italy where the
French and Sardinians defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Magenta in 1859, the same year the
dye was discovered. Apparently the dye was given this name for no other reason.
milliner
“a seller of hats, most often a woman” - a variant of the now obsolete Milaner, a
dealer in goods from Milan (Italy), known for women’s finery in the 16th century.
peach
“a sweet, juicy fruit” - through French peche, from Latin persica, neuter plural of
persicum (malum), meaning “Persian (apple)”, from Greek persikos.
spaniel
“a medium-sized dog with long hair and large drooping ears” - from Old French
espagneul meaning “Spanish,” from Latin Hispania, cf. Old French espaignol “Spanish dog.”
spruce
“evergreen tree” - from Old French Pruce, from Prussia, an area of Germany famous
for this type of timber tree.
tarantula
“large, venomous spider” - from Italian tarantola, from the Italian city Taranto,
near which the spider lives. Its bite was supposed to cause tarantism, a disorder (associated with
Taranto) in which patients dance uncontrollably.
turquoise
e “blue, bluish-green, or greenish-gray” - from Middle English turkeis, from Middle
French turquoyse from (pierre) turqueise, meaning “Turkish stone.”
tuxedo
“formal evening wear for men” - from Tuxedo Park, New York, where the garment
was reputedly first worn.
