loanword

/ˈləʊnwɜːd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈləʊnwɜːrd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlōn-ˌwərd/ (ame, mw)

loanword — noun

  • loanwordsingular
  • loanwordsplural

1. a word that has been taken from one language and is used in another, often becau

1.名詞B2
釋義

a word that has been taken from one language and is used in another, often because the borrowing language has no word of its own for that thing or idea

例句

"Sushi" is a Japanese loanword that English speakers use for raw fish on rice.

loanword + from [language]: 'sushi' is a Japanese loanword

The English teacher explained that "kindergarten" started as a German loanword.

同義詞
  • borrowing

    the process, rather than the specific word; 'borrowing from French' vs 'a French loanword'

  • adopted word

    less common; emphasises that the word has been fully accepted into the new language

  • foreign borrowing

    more technical; used in formal linguistics writing

反義詞
  • native word

    a word that originated within the language itself rather than being borrowed

用法筆記

Loanwords are different from cognates (words in different languages that share a historical origin). Loanwords are consciously adopted, whereas cognates develop from a shared ancestor language. The term is most common in linguistics and language-learning contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The word "piano" is a borrowed loanword from Italian.
✅The word "piano" is a loanword from Italian.
💡'Loanword' already implies borrowing; saying 'borrowed loanword' is redundant.
❌English has many loanwords from other languages, such as "water" and "mother".
✅English has many loanwords from other languages, such as "ballet" and "safari".
💡'Water' and 'mother' are native Old English words, not loanwords.