Thursday, 27 November 2008

A-Z Of English Words With Surprising Origins

English words with the prefix 'al-' as in alchemy and alcohol, often have Arabic roots, and many seafaring terms - skipper, schooner, land-lubber - are Dutch. But there are plenty of other surprises. Who knew that marmalade is in fact Portuguese?

Here is an A-to-Z of some favourite English words that have been absorbed from and inspired by other languages.

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