English is often described as a “borrower” language, freely absorbing words from other tongues. Over the past 1,500 years, English has adopted vocabulary from more than 300 languages. Some linguists estimate that upwards of 70% of English words actually come from foreign sources. This linguistic openness means that various fields of life – from gambling to gourmet food to high fashion, have left their mark on English.
In this article, we explore three industries that gave English much of its global flavor, looking at the foreign roots of their key terms and how those words entered everyday use.
Poker’s International Vocabulary
Card games and casinos have introduced a colorful lexicon into English, often borrowed from French and other languages thanks to the international origins of these games. The classic card game poker itself likely takes its name from the French game poque, descended from the German pochen (“to brag or bluff”). Fittingly, pochen is also the ancestor of the English word poker, reflecting the bragging and bluffing at the heart of the game. Many other poker terms reveal global roots. For example, to bluff (pretend to have a stronger hand) comes from Dutch bluffen, meaning “to brag or boast”.
All these terms hint at where the games originated or were popular – French Louisiana, Italian resorts, riverboat casinos, etc. And knowing these words are crucial if someone wants to learn how to play poker, as such strategic games are not like the video games, where you may not even need to know any terms. In games like poker, words mean a lot in understanding the game. Indeed, the language of gambling is part of its strategy; a newcomer must learn the lingo as much as the rules.
Historically, the mix of cultures in 19th-century American gambling halls fostered this diverse vocabulary. So, poker spread via French-speaking territories like New Orleans. In short, the gaming industry – especially card games like poker – handed English a deck of foreign words that have become all-in parts of our lexicon.
A Melting Pot of Global Terms
For starters (or entrée, to use the French), fine dining terminology in English is heavily French – a legacy of French haute cuisine’s influence. We speak of cuisine (French for “kitchen” or style of cooking), chefs (from French chef, “chief” or head cook), and menus (from French menu, a detailed list) in restaurants everywhere. The word restaurant itself comes from French: originally it referred to a “restorative” broth sold by Parisian food vendors, from the verb restaurer (“to restore to health”). The first modern restaurant in 18th-century Paris advertised “restaurants divins” – divine restoratives – giving us the name for eating establishments.
This is how an early-day restaurant looked in Paris in 1900
Even everyday English food words betray foreign origins. After the Norman Conquest, for example, the English dinner table started using French words for meats: beef (from French boeuf), pork (from French porc) and mutton (from French mouton) all entered English around the 13th–14th centuries.
In later centuries, new foods and flavors brought new words. Italian cuisine gave English pizza (literally “pie,” first attested in Naples) and all kinds of pasta names. Spanish and Mexican fare contributed terms like taco, salsa, and chocolate (from indigenous Nahuatl via Spanish). From the Middle East, we got coffee (from Arabic qahwa via Turkish kahve) and sugar (from Arabic sukkar), and there is more you could find in the list of grocery items.
Not only individual words, but whole idioms spice up our speech thanks to food. We toast to someone’s health (from the Old French verb toster, “to grill” bread , as in spiced toast dunked in wine), and we say “bon appétit” before a meal. The culinary industry’s influence on English is truly a melting pot, blending flavors from French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and beyond into everyday vocabulary.
Haute Words with Foreign Flair
The fashion industry is another realm where English has draped itself in foreign terminology. For centuries, France was the epicenter of high fashion, so it’s no surprise that French words dominate couture and clothing vocabulary. We speak of haute couture (literally “high sewing”) and boutiques (French for “shops”) on chic boulevards. A fancy nightgown is lingerie (from French linge, linen garments), and a stylish outfit is chic (a French word for stylish, borrowed into English around 1900). Going further back, “blouse”, “petticoat”, “gown”, and “attire” all came from French centuries ago. Fashion-conscious English in the 18th–19th centuries eagerly adopted these French terms to capture a bit of Parisian elegance.
But fashion’s borrowed words are truly global, not just French. The word “khaki” comes from Urdu/Hindi (via Persian) meaning “dust-colored,” describing the light-brown military trousers first worn in 19th-century India. Likewise, pajamas entered English from South Asia: originally pāy-jāma in Hindi/Persian meaning “leg garment,” traditional loose pants that British colonials adopted for sleepwear. By the Victorian era, English speakers were wearing “pajamas” at home, using an Indian word to describe a now universal garment.
This phenomenon reminds us how trend-setting cultures – whether Parisian couturiers or colonial-era influences – have stitched their vocabulary into English. Next time you talk about denim jeans or khaki pants, you’re speaking a bit of French or Urdu without even realizing it.
