The Strange Origins of Everyday English
Key Vocabulary
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| borrow | to take a word from another language into your own | English borrowed bungalow from Hindi through contact in South Asia. |
| figurative | used with a non-literal meaning, often as an image or comparison | In modern English, kowtow is usually figurative rather than physical. |
| isolation | being kept apart from other people or places | Quarantine began as a period of isolation for ships near Venice. |
| embodiment | a person or thing that represents an idea in a clear form | Avatar later meant the embodiment of an idea, then a digital image of a person. |
| debated | discussed with different opinions; not fully agreed | The exact original meaning of checkmate is still debated by some scholars. |
Article
You meet an old classmate outside a café and say, “Long time no see.” Later, you use shampoo in the shower. Both expressions feel completely normal in English, which makes their unusual histories easy to miss.
English has borrowed words from many languages, including Hindi, Chinese, Swahili, Italian, Sanskrit, and Persian. Over time, these words often change meaning until they feel completely English.
Take shampoo. In the eighteenth century, English speakers in India borrowed it from Hindi, where a related word meant “massage” or “knead.” Early shampooing was closer to rubbing the body than washing hair. The modern meaning developed later. [1][2]
Bungalow also came through Hindi. It originally described a low house “in the Bengal style.” British speakers later used the word for a one-story house, often with a porch. [1][2]
Safari came from Swahili, where it meant “journey” or “expedition.” Swahili itself borrowed the word from Arabic. English later connected safari with wildlife travel, but the original idea of a journey remained. [1]
Kowtow comes from Chinese. It first described kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground to show respect. In modern English, it usually means showing too much obedience to someone powerful. [1]
Quarantine is linked to the Italian idea of “forty days,” referring to old rules that kept ships isolated during plague outbreaks. Avatar came from Sanskrit and originally described a deity appearing in earthly form. Today, it can mean the digital image that represents you online. [1][3]
Cushy, meaning comfortably easy, came from Hindi khush, meaning “pleasant” or “happy.” Checkmate travelled through Persian, Arabic, and French before reaching English. Its exact original meaning is debated, but it is connected with the king being defeated or helpless. [1][3]
Even “long time no see” may have travelled across languages. It is often linked to Chinese Pidgin English and resembles the Mandarin phrase hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn. Other expressions such as “no can do” and “lose face” also show Chinese influence. [1][4][5]
These words show how English grows through contact between cultures. Ordinary vocabulary can carry surprisingly long journeys inside it.
Discussion Questions
- Do people in your country mix English words into everyday conversation? Can you give an example?
- When you travel or watch foreign shows, is there a word you heard so often you wish your own language had it too?
- What is something you use every day—what do you call it in your language, and do you know where that word comes from?
- If you could add one borrowed word from your language into English, which word would you choose and why?
- Which word from the article would you bring up at dinner tonight to impress a friend, and why?
References
- Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, "shampoo"; "bungalow"; "safari"; "kowtow"; "avatar"; "cushy"; "brainwashing."
- Merriam-Webster, "10 Words From Hindi & Urdu."
- Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, "quarantine"; "checkmate."
- Pascal Tréguer, Word Histories, "Pidgin-English origin of 'long time no see.'"
- Michael Keevak, "On Saving Face: A Brief History of Western Appropriation" (reviewed in Asian Review of Books); Wikipedia, "Paper tiger."