English II III and IV Foreign Words and

English II, III, and IV Foreign Words and Phrases

RSVP Origin: 1895– 1900; French: répondez s’il vous plaît (please reply) Verb (used without object) to reply to an invitation Don't forget to RSVP before Thursday. Noun a reply to an invitation He sent a lovely bouquet of flowers with his RSVP. (used on an invitation to indicate that the favor of a reply is requested) ex: RSVP is requested by 12/9

déjà vu Origin: 1900– 05; French: already seen Noun the illusion of having previously experienced something actually being encountered for the first time. disagreeable familiarity or sameness: The new television season had a sense of déjà vu about it —the same old plots and characters with new names.

faux pas Origin: 1670– 80; French: false step Noun: a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion Michelle Obama committed a faux pas when she touched the Queen of England. Jessica Simpson’s most recent faux pas is when she told reporters, “I’m not an Indian giver!” when they asked her about the new boat she purchased for Tony Romo, her ex.

du jour Origin: French- of the day Noun as prepared on the particular day; of the kind being served today ▪ The soup du jour is chicken noodle. fashionable; current ▪ We discuss environmentalism and other issues du jour.

Bon voyage Origin: 1490– 1500; French: good journey Interjection (Have a) pleasant trip

alma mater Origin: Latin: nourishing (i. e. , dear) mother Noun a school, college, or university at which one has studied and, usually, from which one has graduated the official anthem of a school, college, or university ▪ Stratford is your alma mater. ▪ Middle Tennessee State is my alma mater.

cum laude Origin: 1890– 95, Americanism; Latin: with praise With honor. Used to express academic distinction ▪ Adverb- graduated cum laude ▪ Adjective- 25 cum laude graduates ▪ Three levels: ▪ Cum Laude ▪ Magna Cum Laude ▪ Summa Cum Laude

femme fatale Origin: French: fatal woman Noun (plural = femmes fatales) An irresistibly attractive woman, esp. one who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations A woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising or dangerous situations ▪ Ali Larter plays a femme fatale in Beyonce’s new movie, Obsessed.

verbatim Latin, 1475– 85 adverb in exactly the same words; word for word ▪ to repeat something verbatim. Adjective corresponding word for word to the original source or text ▪ a verbatim record of the proceedings. skilled at recording or noting down speeches, proceedings, etc. , with word-for-word accuracy ▪ a verbatim stenographer.

esprit de corps Origin: 1770– 80; French Noun- a sense of unity and of common interests and responsibilities, as developed among a group of persons closely associated in a task, cause, enterprise, etc. In Remember the Titans, the entire football team went to summer camp to develop an esprit de corps. Michael Jackson’s death brought upon an esprit de corps across the world.

E pluribus unum Origin: Latin Out of many, one E pluribus unum was adopted as a national motto in 1776 and is now found on the Great Seal of the United States and on United States currency

prima donna Origin: 1760– 70; Italian: first lady Noun a first or principal female singer of an opera company a temperamental, conceited person; a vain and overly sensitive person who is difficult to work with ▪ When she doesn’t get her way, my sister acts like a prima donna and pouts until she gets what she wants.

avant-garde Origin: 1475– 85; French: fore-guard Noun the advance group in any field, esp. in the visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods. Adjective of or pertaining to the experimental treatment of artistic, musical, or literary material belonging to the avant-garde: an avant-garde composer unorthodox or daring; radical.

status quo Origin: 1825– 35; Latin: state in which Noun the existing condition or state of affairs. the existing order of things; present customs, practices, and power relations: ▪ People with money are often content with the status quo. ▪ We don't want to admit more singers to the chorus; we like the status quo.

joie de vivre Origin: 1889; French: joy of living Noun: a delight in being alive; carefree enjoyment of living. My joie de vivre is lying on the beach in the Caribbean. Helping the elderly is a joie de vivre of hers. Making beats is his joie de vivre.

carte blanche Origin: 1645– 55; French: blank document Noun: unconditional authority; full discretionary power To be given “carte blanche” is to receive the power and authority to do as one wishes By giving me her credit card, my mom gave me carte blanche to buy whatever I wanted. The President of the United States often gives members of his Cabinet carte blanche to make major political decisions.

caveat emptor Origin: 1515– 25; Latin: let the buyer beware Noun- let the buyer beware: the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty. Caveat emptor is the first rule of buying a used car. When I tried to return my refurbished i. Pod to Best Buy, the salesman said, “Caveat emptor!” and pointed to the “No refunds on refurbished items” sign.

alpha and omega Greek- In the Greek alphabet, alpha is the first letter and omega is the last. Noun the beginning and the end the basic or essential element or elements: the alpha and omega of political reform. The first and the last: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord" (Revelation 1: 8).

tabula rasa Origin: 1525– 35; Latin: clean slate Noun: a mind not yet affected by experiences, impressions, etc. anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state John Locke believed that a child’s mind was a tabula rasa. Teachers should believe that each student is a tabula rasa and not have any preconceived notions of them.

hoi polloi Origin: 1815– 25; Greek: the many Noun- the common people; the masses; ordinary persons (often preceded by the) The hoi polloi may think that the “Cash for Clunkers” is a good deal, but they don’t realize that the auto dealers are marking up the cars more than the discount. Universal healthcare is supported by the hoi polloi, but many do not understand that the quality of medical care might actually decrease.

ad nauseam Origin: Latin: to seasickness Adverb- to a sickening or disgusting degree; to the point of nausea The speaker told us the details of how he overcame his childhood problems ad nauseam. One of my friends whined about her problems ad nauseam. Some teachers lecture ad nauseam.

Carpe diem Latin: seize the day Interjection enjoy the present, as opposed to placing all hope in the future take full advantage of present opportunities By living by the saying, Carpe diem, we choose to make the most of every opportunity we have. The Roman general yelled, “Carpe diem!” and rushed into the battlefield.

tempus fugit Origin: Latin: time flies Part of Speech: phrase Tempus fugit when you’re having fun!

C’est la vie Origin: French- that's life; such is life. Part of speech- phase An expression used to play down some minor disappointment: “So we lost a softball game by twenty-two runs. What can you do; c'est la vie. ” After my dog ran away, my mom yelled at me, and I got an F on my math test, all I could say was, “C’est la vie. ”

bona fide Origin: 1935– 45; Latin: in good faith Adjective made, done, presented, etc. , in good faith; without deception or fraud: a bona fide statement of intent to sell authentic; true: a bona fide sample of Lincoln's handwriting Anyone who buys a purse at the flea market on Jefferson knows that it’s not a bono fide Coach or Gucci. Caveat emptor!

savoir faire Origin: 1805– 15; French: knowing how to do Noun: knowledge of just what to do in any situation to know how to act Obama uses his savoir faire to navigate through difficult political meetings. Jay Z’s savoir faire has helped him create a musical, clothing, and merchandising empire.

non sequitur Origin: Latin- it does not follow Noun Logic- an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises; a statement containing an illogical conclusion A thought that does not logically follow what has just been said: “We had been discussing the genocide in Rwanda, so her remark about astrology was a real non sequitur. ”

id est Origin: Latin- “that is” Adverb Forms: id est, i. e. Meanings: that is, namely, that is to say, in other words When my ACT results came back, I scored highly in English ( i. e. grammar, synonyms, antonyms, sentence structure. ) I don’t like any forms of physical activity (i. e. running, climbing, aerobics, or anything that makes me sweat. )

enfant terrible Origin: French- terrible or frightful child Noun an incorrigible child, as one whose behavior is embarrassing an outrageously outspoken or bold person who says and does indiscreet or irresponsible things a person whose work, thought, or lifestyle is so unconventional or avant-garde as to appear revolutionary or shocking Every time I go out to eat, at least one enfant terrible ruins my casual dining experience. Don Imus became a national enfant terrible when he called the Rutgers women’s basketball team “nappy-headed h—s. ”

terra firma Origin: 1595– 1605; Latin- solid earth Noun firm or solid earth; dry land (as opposed to water or air); solid ground After our stormy voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, we were relieved to set foot on terra firma. My friends decided to jump from an airplane, but I decided to stay on terra firma.

vox populi Origin: Latin- voice of the people Noun the voice of the people; popular opinion; public opinion The vox populi demanded change in the White House, so Obama was elected President. After he was arrested for aggravated robbery, the vox populi turned against O. J. Simpson. If we truly want social change, the vox populi must be unified.

Ad hoc Latin, 1550 -1560 Adverb- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration: a committee formed ad hoc to deal with the issue. Adjective- concerned or dealing with a specific subject, purpose, or end: The ad hoc committee disbanded after making its final report.

Cause célèbre French, 1755 -1765 any controversy that attracts great public attention, as a celebrated legal case or trial. “The question of the draft was a cause célèbre in the 1960 s. ”

Magnum opus Latin, 1785 -1795 –noun a great work, esp. the chief work of a writer or artist: Proust's magnum opus is Remembrance of Things Past. The most important work in a person's career, especially in literature, art, or scholarship: “ Moby Dick was Melville's magnum opus. ”

Persona non grata Latin, “unacceptable person” A person who is not welcome: He has become persona non grata in our club since his angry outburst. An unacceptable or unwelcome person

Quid pro quo Latin, “one thing in return for another” Something that is given or taken in return for something else; substitute. “I think it should be quid pro quo- you mow the lawn, and I’ll take you to the movies. ” “Quid pro quo- You give me your hat, and I won’t write you up. ”

Je ne sais quoi French, 1656 “an inexpressible something” an indefinable, elusive quality, esp. a pleasing one: She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody. That little something; a quality that eludes description: “The Mona Lisa's smile has a certain je ne sais quoi. ”

Modus Operandi Latin, 1645 -1655 Noun- procedure; method of operating, a way of doing things “M. O. ” The serial killer’s modus operandi was discovered by the police, and he was arrested.

Nom de Plume French, 1815 -1825 Pen name Mark Twain’s nom de plume was Samuel Clemens.

Haute Couture French Noun- high fashion; the most fashionable and influential dressmaking and designing Paris, London, and Milan are centers of haute couture.

Mea Culpa Latin, noun Through my fault; my fault (used as an acknowledgment of one's responsibility). An acknowledgement of guilt “BP gave a public mea culpa after videos of the disaster in the Gulf surfaced on television and the Internet. ”