Foreign Words

malicious joy

„Obsolete“ comes from Latin obsolescere („to wear out, fall into disuse“): something outdated, no longer in use.

💡 Did you know? In technology and law especially, one speaks of obsolete standards or clauses replaced by newer ones.

already seen

„Pragmatic“ goes back to the Greek pragma („deed, thing“); a pragmatic person is guided by what actually works.

💡 Did you know? Pragmatism is also a philosophical school that judges an idea's worth by its practical consequences.

spirit of the age

„Ambivalent“ (Latin ambo „both“ + valere „to be worth“) describes coexisting opposite feelings: being for and against at once.

💡 Did you know? The term was introduced into technical language by the psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in the early 20th century.

genuine

„Lapidary“ (from Latin lapis „stone“) means a terse, coolly factual style: originally the weighty style of stone inscriptions.

💡 Did you know? A lapidary reply is short and to the point: often coming across as almost brusque.

current state

„Eloquent“ (Latin eloqui „to speak out“) describes someone who expresses themselves fluently and effectively.

💡 Did you know? The art of persuasive speech, rhetoric, was considered one of the most important skills of all in antiquity.

free rein

„Redundant“ (Latin redundare „to overflow“) means superfluous, because information is present twice.

💡 Did you know? In engineering, though, redundancy is deliberate: backup systems take over if one fails, as in aircraft.

double

„Diffuse“ (Latin diffundere „to pour out, scatter“) describes something blurred, without clear outlines.

💡 Did you know? In physics „diffuse light“ is scattered light with no clear direction: hence the figurative sense „unclear“.

social blunder

„Evident“ (Latin evidens „clear“) means something so obvious it needs no proof.

💡 Did you know? In medicine „evidence-based“ means a treatment is backed by solid studies.

intrinsically

„Contrary“ (Latin contra „against“) describes an opposing viewpoint or contradiction.

💡 Did you know? Two contrary statements cannot both be true: but they can both be false.

the reverse

„Profane“ (Latin profanum „outside the temple“) means the worldly, everyday, as opposed to the sacred.

💡 Did you know? Originally „profane“ meant everything outside the sacred realm; today it simply means „ordinary“.

for this purpose

„Stringent“ (Latin stringere „to draw tight“) describes a coherent, gap-free line of argument.

💡 Did you know? A stringent proof leads step by step, without gaps, to the result.

harbour wave

„Volatile“ (Latin volare „to fly“) means unstable, fluctuating: literally „fleeting“.

💡 Did you know? On the stock market, volatility measures how much prices swing: high volatility means big ups and downs.

afternoon nap

„Decided/emphatic“ (Latin decidere „to decide“) describes a firm, resolute stance.

💡 Did you know? To hold something emphatically is to do so firmly and without ifs or buts.

teacher

„Rudimentary“ (Latin rudimentum „first beginning“) means only partly developed or incomplete.

💡 Did you know? In biology, „rudiments“ are reduced organs with no function, such as the human appendix.

stereotype

„Pretentious“ (Latin praetendere „to pretend“) describes a presumptuous, inflated manner.

💡 Did you know? Someone pretentious pretends to be or know more than is actually the case.

urge to travel

„Congruent“ (Latin congruere „to agree“) means coinciding or in harmony.

💡 Did you know? In geometry, two figures are congruent if they can be made to coincide exactly.