One loan word per language

Language	English	Original word	Original meaning	Further etymology or notes
Indoeuropean
Germanic
West Germanic
Afrikaans	trek	trek	A journey	Dutch trek “journey, migration”
DutchNederlands	boss	baas	”	Mid. Dutch baes “master”
Old EnglishÆnglisc	weird	wyrd	Fate, destiny	Proto-Indoeuropean *wert- “to turn, to wind”
GermanDeutsch	schadenfreude	Schadenfreude	” (Enjoyment from another’s misfortune)	Schaden “harm” + Freude “joy”
Yiddishיידיש Yidisch	klutz	קלאָץ klots	A wooden beam	Proto–West Germanic klott, whence English clod*
Nordic
DanishDansk	angst	angst	Fear, dread, anxiety, angst	Proto-Germanic *angustiz “narrowness, tightness, fear, anxiety”
FæroeseFøroyskt	skua	skúgvur	A great skua	Old Norse skúfr “great skua”
IcelandicÍslenska	geyser	Geysir	Name of a large geyser in southwestern Iceland	Literally “gusher”, from geysa “to gush”
Old NorseNorrǿna	window	vindauga	”	vindr “wind” + auga “eye”
NorwegianNorsk	ski	ski	”	Old Norse skíð “snowshoe, stick of wood”
SwedishSvenska	moped	moped	”	tramp-cykel med motor och pedaler “bicycle with engine and pedals”
Romance
CatalanCatalà	paella	paella	A frying pan, a paella	Latin patella “pan”
Old FrenchFranceis	air	air	Air, the atmosphere, a breeze, the weather	Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ āḗr air, mist, wind
CastillianCastellano	tornado	tronada	A thunderstorm	tronar “to thunder”
FrenchFrançais	hotel	hôtel	A mansion, a hotel	Latin hospitāle “hospital, guesthouse”
ItalianItaliano	balcony	balcone	”	augmentative of balco “scaffold, balcony”
LatinLatina	nature	nātūra	A nature, an essence, the natural world, a penis	nāscor “be born”
PortuguesePortuguês	dodo	doudo	A crazy person	dated form of doido
Indoiranian
Dhivehiދިވެހި	atoll	އަތޮޅު atholhu	A province, an atoll	Uncertain; suggestions include Sanskrit अन्तर antara “interior”
Hindi–Urduहिंदी اردو	pyjamas	पाजामा پاجامہ pājāmā	Loose cotton trousers	Persian پايجامه pâyjâma “leg garment”
Persianفارسی Fārsi	caravan	کاروان kārvān	A caravan, a convoy	Mid. Persian 𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭥𐭠𐭭𐭥 kārawān “military column”
Punjabiਪੰਜਾਬੀ Paṁjābī	Sikh	ਸਿੱਖ sikhkha	A Sikh, the Sikh community	Sanskrit शिक्षा śikṣā “learning, study, skill”
RomanyRromani ćhib	pal	phral	A brother	Cognate with English brother, Latin frater, &c.
Sanskritसंस्कृतम् Saṃskṛtam	karma	कर्मन् kárman	An act, an action, a performance, karma
Slavic
CzechČeština	robot	robot	”	robota “servitude, drudgery”
PolishPolski	sabre	szabla	”	via German Säbel, French sabre
RussianРусский Russkij	mammoth	мамонт mamont	”	Compare Proto-Uralic *mëxe “earth, land”
Serbo-CroatianСрпскохрватски Srpskohrvatski	vampire	вампир vampir	”	via German Vampir, French vampire
UkrainianУкраїнська Ukrainska	Cossack	козак kozak	”	via Polish kozak, French cosaque
Hellenic
Ancient GreekἈρχαία ἑλληνική Archǽa hellēnicḗ	iris	ἶρις îris	A rainbow	via Latin īris
GreekΕλληνικά Elliniká	malarkey	μαλακία malakía	Masturbation, nonsense
Celtic
BretonBrezhoneg	menhir	maen-hir	A long stone	Via French menhir
IrishGaeilge	tory	tóraí	An outlaw, a pursuer	Originally applied to Irish Catholic rebels, then to supporters of the Catholic king James VII
Scots GaelicGàidhlig	slogan	sluagh-ghairm	A battle cry	sluagh “crowd, (obsolete) army” + ghairm “cry”
WelshCymraeg	corgi	corgi	”	cor “dwarf” + ci “dog”
Other
AlbanianShqip	dhampir	dhampir	” (A half-human, half-vampire)	From a South Slavic language, possibly Serbo-Croatian or Bulgarianвампир vampir
Sinotibetan
Cantonese廣東話 Gwóngdūng wǎ	kowtow	叩頭 kautàu	To bow so deeply one’s forehead touches the ground	叩 “knock” + 頭 “head”
Hokkien閩南語 Bân-lâm-gí	ginseng	人參 jîn-sim	”
Mandarin官話 Guānhuà	kung-fu	功夫 gōngfu	Skill, accomplishment	功 “achievement” + 夫 “man”
Tibetanབོད་ཡིག Pöyig	lama	བླ་མ lama	”
Niger–Congo
IgboÌgbò	okra	ọ́kụ̀rụ̀	”	Disputed, may well come from some other related language
SwahiliKiswahili	safari	safari	A journey, a trip	Arabic سفر safar “departure, journey, military campaign”
Wolof	banana	banaana	”	Arabic بنانة banāna “fingertip, finger”
XhosaIsiXhosa	ubuntu	ubuntu	Ubuntu, humaneness, solidarity	Also borrowed from Zulu ubuntu “ubuntu, solidarity, humanity”
YorubaYorùbá	dashiki	dàńṣíkí	”	Hausa ɗan ciki “inner garment”
ZuluIsiZulu	impala	impala	”	Proto-Bantu *mpàdá “impala”
Afroasiatic
Akkadian𒀝𒅗𒁺𒌑 Akkadû	lamassu	𒀭𒆗 lamassu	” (A sphinx-like guardian Deity of Assyrian myth)
Amharicአማርኛ Amari̠nya	teff	ጤፍ ṭef	” (An edible grass native to the Horn of Africa)
Arabicالعربية al-ʻArabiyyah	coffee	قهوة qahwa	Wine, coffee	via Turkish kahve, Dutch koffie
Aramaicארמיא Ārāmāyā	abbot	אבא ʾabbā	A father, an ancestor, a teacher, a leader, an author
EgyptianRa ni Ku:mat	lily	ḥaru:rat	A flower, a blossom	via Coptic ϩⲗⲏⲣⲓ hlēri, Ancient Greek λείριον leírion, Latin līlium
Hebrewעִבְרִית Ivrit	hallelujah	הללויה halleluyah	Praise God!	הללו “praise” + יה (personal name of God)
Austronesian
Malayopolynesian
Philippine
IlocanoIlokano	yo-yo	yóyo	”
Tagalog	boondocks	bundok	A mountain
Oceanic
HawaiʻianʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi	ukulele	ʻukulele	”	ʻuku “flea” + lele “to jump”
MāoriTe reo Māori	kiwi	kiwi	A kiwi bird	Onomatopœic
MarshalleseKajin Ṃajeḷ	bikini	Pikinni	Bikini Atoll, where the U.S. tested its nuclear arsenal	Bestowed to the garment in 1946 by its designer, Louis Réard
Rapa Nui	moai	moꞌai	A statue
TahitianReo Tahiti	tattoo	tātau	”	Proto-Polynesian tatau; borrowed into English by James Cook as tattow while in Tahiti
TonganLea faka-Tonga	taboo	tapu	Prohibited, sacred	Also found in Māori, Rapa Nui, Samoan, and Tahitian
Other
Javaneseꦧꦱꦗꦮ Basa Jawa	satay	ꦱꦠꦺ saté	”	Tamil சதை catai “flesh”
Malagasy	fossa	fosa	”	Pronounced /fusə/ (King Julien was right); cognate with Tagalog pusa “cat”
MalayBahasa Melayu	orangutan	orang utan	”	orang “person” + utan “forest”
Dravidian
Kannadaಕನ್ನಡ Kannaḍa	bamboo	ಬಂಬು baṁbu	”	via Malay bambu, Dutch bamboe
Malayalamമലയാളം Malayāḷaṁ	mango	മാങ്ങ māṅṅa	An unripe mango fruit	via Malay mangga, Portuguese manga
Tamilதமிழ் Tamil̮	pariah	பறையர் paṟaiyar	Drummers; the Paraiyar, a lower caste in southern Indian society	பறை paṟai “drum”
Teluguతెలుగు Tĕlugu	bandicoot	పందికొక్కు paṁdikŏkku	A bandicoot rat (unrelated to actual bandicoots, who are native to New Guinea)	పంది paṁdi “pig” + కొక్కు kŏkku “great rat, bandicoot”
Kra–Dai
Laoລາວ Lao	saola	ເສົາຫລາ saola	” (A vanishingly rare endangered bovid discovered in 1992)	Literally “spindle-horned”
Thaiไทย Thai	wat	วัด wat	A temple, a cathedral, a place of worship	Sanskrit वाट vāṭa “enclosure”
Uralic
FinnishSuomi	sauna	sauna	A sauna, (obsolete) a pit dug into snow for temporary shelter
HungarianMagyar	coach	kocsi	A cart, a carriage, a car	via German Kutsche, French coche; after the cart-buildng town of Kocs
Kildin SámiКӣллт са̄мь Kiillt saam’	tundra	тӯнтар tuuntar	A mountain fell, a fjeld
NenetsНенэцяʼ Njenecja’	parka	парка parka	”
Algic
AbenakiAlnôbaôdwawôgan	skunk	segôgw	”	Proto-Algonquian šeka·kwa, literally “pissing fox”; cognate with Chicago* via Miami šikaakwa.
Creeᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ Nêhiyawêwin	pemmican	ᐱᒦᐦᑳᐣ pimîhkân	” (A nutrient-rich paste of dried meat, berries, and fat)	ᐱᒥᕀ pimiy “fat, lard” + ᐃᐦᑳᐣ -ihkân “artificial, man-made”
Mi’kmaqMiʼkmawiʼsimk	caribou	qalipu	”	Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipowa “it shovels snow”
OjibweAnishinaabemowin	totem	odoodem	Their (sg.) clan, their totem
PowhatanKikitowämak	raccoon	arahkun	”	arahkuněm “he scratches with his hands”
WampanoagWôpanâôtuwâôk	powwow	pawâw	A shaman	Proto-Algonquian *pawe·wa “shaman, dreamer”
Hyperborean
GreenlandicKalaallisut	kayak	qajaq	”	via Danish kajak
Inuktitutᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ	igloo	ᐃᒡᓗ iglu	A house, a building	Proto–Inuit–Yupik *ǝŋlu
IñupiaqIñupiatun	malamute	malimiut	The Malimiut people of northwestern Alaska	Known for breeding malamutes
Yup’ikYugtun	mukluk	maklak	A bearded seal
Pama–Nyungan
Arabana	witchetty	witjuti	A witchetty bush (a wattle of the Australian outback, often home to the eponymous critter)
Dharug	koala	gula	”
Gamilaraay	bilby	bilbi	”
Guugu Yimidhirr	kangaroo	gangurru	An eastern grey kangaroo
Noongar	quokka	gwaga	”
Wadawurrung	bunyip	ban-yib	” (A swamp-dwelling monster of Australian folklore)
Wiradjuri	kookaburra	guuguubarra	”	Onomatopœic
Woiwurrung	yabber	yaba	To speak, to talk
Yagara	yakka	yaga	Work
Muscogean
ChoctawChahta	bayou	bayuk	A creek, a river	via French bayou
MuscogeeMvskoke	tupelo	topilwa	”	ito “tree” + opilwa “swamp”
Salishan
Halkomelemhalq̓eméylem	sasquatch	sesq̓ec	”
Lushootseeddxʷləšucid	geoduck	gʷidəq	” (A phallic saltwater clam of the northern Pacific)
Other
Africa
KhoekhoeKhoekhoegowab	gnu	!nu	”	via Dutch gnoe
Asia
EvenkiЭвэды̄ Ēvēdee	shaman	шаман xaman	”	Possibly Sanskrit श्रमण śramaṇá “ascetic, monk, devotee”
Japanese日本語 Nihongo	futon	布団 futon	A foldable mattress & duvet placed on the floor	Mid. Chinese 蒲團 bu-dwan “meditation cushion”
Korean한국어 Han’gugeo	taekwondo	태권도 taegwondo	”	태권 taegwon “kicking and punching” + 도 do “the way”
TurkishTürkçe	yoghurt	yoğurt	”
VietnameseTiếng Việt	pho	phở	”
North America
American Sign Lang.𝣷𝪜𝤃𝪜𝣜𝪜	🤟	𝢜𝪜	I love you; to love	Blend of 𝢒𝪜𝣜𝪜𝢚𝪜 (I-L-Y)
CherokeeᏣᎳᎩ Tsalagi	sequoia	ᏍᏏᏉᏯ Ssiquoyah	Sequoyah (the Cherokee silversmith who invented his language’s writing system)	Disputed; may also be derived from Latin sequor “i follow”
Chinook JargonChinuk wawa	potlatch	palach	A gift, a potlatch; to give	Nuu-chah-nulth p̕ačiƛ “give in ceremony”
LakotaLakȟótiyapi	teepee	thípi	A house, a building	thípi “they live (somewhere)”
NahuatlNāhuatl	axolotl	āxōlōtl	”	ātl “water” + xōlōtl “naked one”
Taíno	canoe	*kanowa	A dugout canoe	Proto-Arawak *kanawa
South America
AymaraAymar aru	alpaca	allpaqa	”	via Spanish alpaca
QuechuaRunasimi	jerky	ch’arki	Dried meat, jerky; thin, miserly, stingy	via Spanish charqui
TupiTupinambá	capybara	kapi’iûara	”	Literally “grass-eater”

Two comments

Koia says…

The word "Sequoia" is not Latin, but is derived from the root word for pig in Cherokee (siqua, "SEE-gwuh"). He had a bad knee and couldn't do chores well, so his mother considered him lazy. She changed his name from ᏥᏍᏆᏯ Tsisquaya ("Djee-squaw-yah" meaning 'There's a bird inside') to ᏍᏏᏉᏯ Ssiquoyah ("See-qwoh-yah" meaning 'There's a pig inside.')

If you are interested in a possible Cherokee loan word, I recommend the word for cow, "waga / ᏩᎦ" which may be borrowed from Spanish "vaca" (who may have been the ones to have brought cattle to the Americas).

Of note: the "g" and "k" and "qu" sounds can be pronounced quite similarly in many cases in Tsalagi (Cherokee).

2026 May 25, 04.08
Xanthe says…
2w8373gz

@349 I think you’re reading this page the wrong way around! The intention is to list loanwords which entered English from various languages, regardless of how those words were originally derived in their source. The note on sequoia is because there has been a lively scholarly debate on where, exactly, the Austrian botanist who first named the tree Sequoia got the name in the first place.

2026 May 25, 09.28

One loan word per language

Indoeuropean

Germanic

West Germanic

Nordic

Romance

Indoiranian

Slavic

Hellenic

Celtic

Other

Sinotibetan

Niger–Congo

Afroasiatic

Austronesian

Malayopolynesian

Philippine

Oceanic

Other

Dravidian

Kra–Dai

Uralic

Algic

Hyperborean

Pama–Nyungan

Muscogean

Salishan

Other

Africa

Asia

North America

South America