Loanword

A loanword (or a borrowing) is a word taken into by one language from another. A calque or loan translation is a related process whereby it is the meaning or idiom that is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword itself is a calque of the German Lehnwort.

Related Topics:
Language - Calque - Meaning - Idiom - Lexical item - German

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Although loanwords are typically far less numerous than the "native" words of most languages (creoles and pidgins being an obvious exception), they are often widely known and used, since their borrowing served a certain purpose, for example to provide a name for a new invention.

Related Topics:
Creole - Pidgin - Invention

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