14 English Words We Actually Borrowed From Lesser Countries
Without the mighty Vikings, there would be no awkward turtle.
‘Bazooka’ Is Half Dutch
The rocket launcher little kids dream of shouldering is actually named after an awful little brass instrument. “Bazoo” was American slang for “mouth,” which we derived from the Dutch word “bazuin,” meaning “trumpet.”
‘Boulder’ Is Scandinavian Anthropomorphism
The word refers to how a huge rock in a swift stream can sound like it’s screaming. Before it morphed into “boulder,” “bullra” (“to roar”) and “sten” (“stone”) combined to create the word “bullersten,” or “noisy stone.”
‘Mammoth’ Represents Russians’ Deep Misunderstanding of Their Local Fauna
Prehistoric Russians believed that woolly mammoths used their tusks to burrow into the ground, referring to them as “mamont,” derived from “mama,” which meant “Earth.”
‘Disinformation’ Is Russian All the Way Down
The Russians used the word “dezinformatsiya” to refer to a highly secretive propaganda department of the KGB. When American agencies caught wind of it in 1952’s Great Soviet Encyclopedia, they were like, “Yeah we’ll take the whole thing, don’t even bother bagging it up.”
‘Brainwashing’ Was a Literal Translation From the Chinese Government
The Chinese term 洗腦 is made up of the characters for “brain” and “wash.” China’s People’s Volunteer Army deployed this forced consumption of propaganda during the Korean War, but the American media perverted the term. Instead of referring to forced reeducation, they instead said that American soldiers coming back with anti-war stances had been brainwashed.
To Be ‘Glamourous’ Is to Learn a Spooky Scottish Spell
The old Scottish word “gramarye,” later to become “glamour,” meant something along the lines of “occult learning” or “forbidden scholarship.”
Quick, Shampoo! There’s No Time To Explain!
The Hindustani word “chāmpo” was an 18th-century command that meant “rub!” The word is a verb imperative, meaning it’s actually a command that’s translated with the exclamation point built in.
A ‘Juggernaut’ Is an Unstoppable Local Indian God
Jagannath is a form of the deity Vishnu, who was worshipped in one specific temple by having thousands of people pull three massive statues through the streets on heavy carts. Worshippers would feed the statues holy food, but there are also tales of fanatics hurling themselves in front of the carts to be crushed to death. “Juggernaut” came to mean anything so huge and inevitable, it’s not even worth trying to stop.
‘Jacket’ Is Just a Dude’s Name
“Jacket” is a form of the Hebrew name Jacob that means “he has protected.”
John Is One Zany Guy
We got our word “zany” from the Italian word “zanni,” which refers to a masked clown. The word derives directly from the name Giovanni, aka John. Somewhere along the way, some guy named John was such a wild card that they made his name synonymous with goofballery.
Vikings Were Awful, Awesome and a Little Awkward
The Old Norse word for “terror” was “agi.” When that got smashed into the Anglo-Saxon word “eȝe,” it created “aȝe,” the root of both “awful” and “awesome.” Later, someone chucked on the Old English word “weard,” meaning “turned backward,” to get “awkward.”
Snooping Is a Little Dutch Indulgence
The 19th century Dutch word “snoepen” meant to secretly eat a little sweet treat. You can feel the same indulgent brain tickle when you sneak a Hostess donut as when you sit and eavesdrop on some gossip.
A ‘Goober’ Is a Real Nut
We use the word “goober” to refer to an idiot or a fool. It comes from the word “n-guba,” which means “peanut” in the Kongo and Kimbundu languages.
Perhaps the Dutch Don’t Get Bullied Enough
We use “bully” to refer to the troubled dorks who doled out swirlies and titty twisters in fourth grade, but once upon a time, it was a compliment. It comes from the Dutch word “boel,” which, troublingly, can refer to both a lover and a brother.