DID YOU KNOW: WORD BORROWING
English has borrowed a lot of words from different languages, and sometimes from languages you might not expect!
What languages do you think the following come from?
1. ALCATRAZ (The island prison off the coast of San Francisco)
2. SOIREE (A very elegant evening party)
3. SIESTA ( a short afternoon sleep or nap)
4. KINDERGARTEN (The first year of school for very small children)
5. ALCOHOL (Vodka, wine, whiskey, sake etcetera)
6. UMBRELLA (It’s what you hold above your head when it’s raining.)
7. GESUNDHEIT (Many Americans use this instead of “Bless you!” when someone sneezes.)
8. HIBACHI (A small, portable grill for barbequing)
9. RENDEZVOUS (A romantic meeting)
10. O.K. or OKAY (I think everyone knows what this means, but I bet you can’t guess where it probably comes from! – It was a surprise to me!)