americanized words to know
Post on 30-Jan-2016
48 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Americanized words to knowPart of SpeechPronunciationDefinitionLanguage of originSentence that reflects proper usage
faux pas
Part of Speech: Noun
Pronunciation: foe – pah
Definition: a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion
Language: French
Sentence: Burping aloud at the seminar was a faux pas I would like to forget!
Déjà vu
Part of Speech: Noun
Pronunciation: dey-zhah voo
Definition: Psychology. the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time.
Language: French
Sentence: The new television season had a sense of déjà vu about it—the same old plots and characters with new names.
du jour
Part of Speech: adjective
Pronunciation: du zhur
Definition: as prepared on the particular day; of the kind being served today
Language: French
Sentence: The soup du jour is potato soup.
bon voyage
Part of Speech: interjection
Pronunciation: bon voi-azh
Definition: good journey
Language: French
Sentence: “Bon voyage, my dear.”
Joie de vivre
Part of Speech: Noun
Pronunciation: zhwa – duh - veevr
Definition: keen or buoyant enjoyment of life
Language: French
Sentence: Ah, to keep the joie de vivre I felt as a young child swinging through the air!
Savoir faire Part of Speech: noun
Pronunciation: sav– war- fer
Definition: capacity for appropriate action; polished sureness in social behavior
Synonym: tact
Language: French
Sentence: The thief moved around the bejeweled party guests with enough savoir faire to look like he belonged.
alma mater
Part of Speech: Noun
Pronunciation: ahl-muh mah-ter
Definition: 1. a school, college, or university at which one has studied and, usually, from which one has graduated. 2. the official anthem of a school, college, or university.
Language: Latin
Sentence: I am learning my alma mater, which will be sung at the pep rally next week!
cum laude
Part of Speech: Noun
Pronunciation: coom – loud - ay
Definition: with honor: used in diplomas to grant the lowest of three special honors for grades above the average.
Language: Latin
Sentence: Jerry graduated cum laude; his mother was SO PROUD!
status quo
Part of Speech: Noun
Pronunciation: status kwoh
Definition: the existing state or condition.
Language: Latin
Sentence: We don't want to admit more singers to the chorus; we like the status quo.
Femme fatale
Part of Speech: Noun
Pronunciation: fem fuh-tal
Definition: an irresistibly attractive woman, esp. one who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations; siren.
Language: French
Sentence: Catwoman was the femme fatale of the Batman series.
prima donna Part of Speech: noun
Pronunciation: pree-muh don-uh
Definition: 1.a first or principal female singer of an opera company.2.a temperamental person; a person who takes adulation and privileged treatment as a right and reacts with petulance to criticism or inconvenience.
Synonym: diva
Language: Italian
Sentence: That Jenkins girl is a good gymnast, but she certainly is a prima donna.
magnum opus
Part of Speech: noun
Pronunciation: MAG-num OH-puhs
Definition: a great work, esp. the chief work of a writer, composer or artist
Language: from Latin, meaning “great work”
Sentence: Milton’s magnum opus is Paradise Lost.
in absentia
Part of Speech: adverb
Pronunciation: in ab-sen-shuh
Definition: While or although not present; in absence
Language: Latin
Sentence: He was tried and convicted in absentia.
Alpha and omega
Part of Speech: noun
Pronunciation: (ok – you should know this one!)
Definition: the beginning and the end
Language: Greek
Sentence: “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,” meaning that God remains from the beginning to the end of time.
carpe diem
Part of Speech: interjection, adjective
Pronunciation: kahr-pe dee-em
Definition: enjoy the present, as opposed to placing all hope in the future
Language: Latin
Sentence: Just before he jumped, he yelled, “Carpe diem!”
à propos
Adjective - appropriate, to the point: "That's true, but it's not apropos.“
Adverb - at an appropriate time, opportunely: "Fortunately, he arrived apropos.“
Preposition (may or may not be followed by of) - with regard to, speaking of: "Apropos our meeting, I'll be late"; "He told a funny story apropos of the new president.“
Language: French
à la carte
Part of Speech: adjective or adverb
Pronunciation: a la kart
Definition: "on the menu"
Language: French
Sentence: He decided to order á la carte instead of getting the special.
au gratin
Part of speech: adjective
Pronunciation: oh grah tan
Definitions:In French, au gratin refers to anything that is grated and put on top of a dishIn English, au gratin means "with cheese.”
Language: French
Sentence: He ordered the potatoes au gratin because he loved the sharp Cheddar cheese on top.
au jus
Part of speech: adjective
Pronunciation: oh zhoo
Definition: served with the meat's natural juices
Language: French - "in the juice“
Sentence: He ordered the French dip sandwich with au jus for dipping.
bon appétit
Part of speech: interjection
Pronunciation: baw na-pey-tee
Definition: "Enjoy your meal
Language: French - "good appetite"
Sentence: The chef placed the gourmet dinner on the customer’s table and said, “Bon appétit.”
top related