The Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases » (REV)

"The American poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson described the English language as "the sea which receives tributaries from every region under heaven." With more than 4,000 entries, this dictionary explains the meanings and origins of terms that have entered the English lexicon from foreign tongues." "Drawn from the fields of language and literature, religion, law, politics and economics, music, entertainment, and cuisine, entries include a definition of the word or phrase in English; language of origin; meaning in the original language; part of speech; pronunciation; and examples or quotations to illustrate usage." The dictionary features entries adopted from countless languages, including French (mise-en-scene), German (Sturm und Drang), Latin (quo vadis), Arabic (mujahideen), Russian (glasnost), Chinese (tao), Greek (hoi polloi), Turkish (kismet), Italian (lingua franca), and many others.

Library Journal

This dictionary is based on a great concept to explain foreign words and phrases that have found their way into our language but, with only about 4000 entries, it more often frustrates. The vast majority of the words listed here come from French and Latin (not surprisingly, since 40 percent of English is derived from French, often through Latin). And though some 60 languages are represented, it is often with only a handful of words. Do we really have only one or two words from Aramaic, Basque, Czech, Egyptian, Finnish, and Polish and only 15 from all the Scandinavian languages? Why include "blond," "bra," "bulletin," "cot," "dessert," "dollar," "minor," "restaurant," and "sofa" as foreign words when there are thousands of others that would be more useful to define? Can we really accept that "margarine" and "menu" are foreign words when their meanings in the original language are entirely different? That said, Manser (The Hearthside Bible Dictionary) has included many music and food terms that could be useful, especially for readers who stick to French, Italian, Spanish, and Hindi. In addition, the Latin terms (many from jurisprudence) are particularly helpful. Each entry includes information on the original meaning and spelling of the word or phrase and an example of its use in English. Recommended for larger public libraries, at least until a more satisfying edition is published. Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Coll., Garden City, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.