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Where did that word come from? – quiz

This article is more than 10 years old
Many English words are borrowed from other languages. Test your knowledge with our quiz written by Philip Durkin, deputy chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary
  1. 1.Sushi has become one of the most familiar Japanese words in contemporary English. When was it borrowed into English?
  2. 2.Don't be spooked. From which language did English borrow the word poltergeist?
  3. 3.What is the original meaning of the word kiwi?
  4. 4.Which of the following is a borrowing from Italian?
  5. 5.There are very many familiar French words in English, but there are also some words that look and sound like French borrowings but have actually come into English from other languages. Which of these words is not borrowed from French?
  6. 6.It might be unspoken of, but which language was the word taboo borrowed into English from?
  7. 7.Which of these everyday words was borrowed into English from Latin?
  8. 8.Most borrowed verbs are weak verbs, e.g. post/posted, indicate/indicated. Which of the following strong verbs is a borrowed word?
  9. 9.Many words for types of food and drink have been borrowed into English from other languages, some of them at a very early date. Which of these words entered English earliest?
  10. 10.Sometimes more than one English word can come from the same source. Which of these words is not related to the other three?
  11. 11.Some borrowed words are harder to spot than others. Which of these words was borrowed into English from another language?
  12. 12.The word tomato has been in English since the 1600s. Which language was it borrowed from?
  13. 13.It’s a traditional part of the British breakfast today, but which language was marmalade borrowed into English from?
  14. 14.Some borrowings can be found even among very common everyday vocabulary. Which of the following is not a loanword?
  15. 15.Sometimes borrowings creep in even among the grammatical vocabulary that provides the building blocks of English. Which of the following is a loanword?
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