The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (47 page)

maestoso (mistOSO, mistOZO) ITALIAN
[majestic, from Latin majestas majesty]
adverb (in music) majestically. -adjective (in music) majestic, stately: "Then
Kadijah announces to the populace the
Prophet's interviews with the Angel Gabriel
(maestoso sostenuto in F Major)" (Honore
de Balzac, Gambara, 1837).

maestro (mistro) ITALIAN [master,
ultimately from Latin magister master] noun (plural maestros or maestri,
mistree) an eminent composer, orchestra conductor, teacher of music,
or other distinguished figure in the
arts: "All the musicians in the orchestra
have the greatest respect for their esteemed
maestro."

maffia See MAFIA.

maffioso See MAFIOSO.

mafia (mafee5), maffia ITALIAN
[boldness, bragging] noun a Sicilian
secret society, or an equivalent criminal organization in the United States
or elsewhere; may also refer to any
organization or group of people suspected of using underhand or criminal tactics: "The bosses of the company
have been accused of acting like some kind
of mafia outt."

mafioso (mafeeoso, mafeeozo), maffioso ITALIAN [from mafia boldness,
bragging] noun (plural mafiosos or
mafiosi, mafeeosee, mafeeozee)
a member of the mafia: "When he
carried his violin case to work he was
immediately arrested on suspicion of
being a mafioso."

magi See MAGUS.

magma (magma) GREEK [thick
unguent, from massein to knead]
noun (plural magmas or magmata,
magmahta) molten rock beneath the
crust of the earth or another planet or,
more generally, any paste of solid and
liquid material or sediment.

magna cum laude (magna Lam lowda,
magna kam lodee) LATIN [with great
praise] adverb phrase with great
distinction: "Their son graduated magna
cum laude." 'adjective phrase with great
distinction.

"Magnificat" ("magnifikat,"
manifikat) LATIN [he/she magnifies, from
magnfcare to magnify] noun the
prayer spoken by the Virgin Mary at
the Annunciation (Luke 1:46-55) and
the canticle or hymn based on this, or
more generally any expression of religious devotion: `Robert of Sicily, brother
of Pope Urbane / And Valmond, Emperor
of Allemaine, / Apparelled in magnificent
attire, / With retinue of many a knight
and squire, / On St John's eve, at vespers,
proudly sat / And heard the priests chant the Magnfcat.. " (Henry W. Longfellow, "King Robert of Sicily," 1863).

magnifico (magnifiko, maniko)
ITALIAN [magnificent] noun (plural
magnificos or magnificoes) a distinguished or eminent person, usually
one who holds high office, a grandee.

magnifique (maneefeek) FRENCH
[magnificent] adjective wonderful,
great: "The chef smacked his lips with
satisfaction and with a cry of `magnjque!'
grasped his assistant in his huge embrace."

magnum (magnum) LATIN [neuter of
magnus great] noun a large wine bottle with a capacity of 1.5 liters (1 .6
quarts): "The winner will be presented
with a magnum of champagne"

magnum opus (magnum opus) LATIN
[great work] noun phrase (plural magnum opuses or magna opera, magna
opara, magna opara) a masterpiece,
the greatest work of a particular artist, composer, or writer: "His last symphony is generally considered his magnum
opus."

magus (maVgas) LATIN [from Greek
magos] noun (plural magi, m4j] a
member of the priesthood of ancient
Medea or Persia; can also refer more
generally to an astrologer, sorcerer,
or wise man (usually referring to one
of the three wise men, the Magi, who
paid homage to the newborn Jesus):
"The practical intellects of the world did

not much heed him, or carelessly reckoned
him a metaphysical dreamer: but to the
rising spirits of the young generation he
had this dusky sublime character; and sat
there as a kind of Magus, girt in mystery
and enigma..." (Thomas Carlyle, Lfe of
john Sterling, 1851).

maharaja (maharahja, maharahzha),
maharajah HINDI [great raja, great
king] noun a Hindu prince with a
status above that of rajah: "The maharaja greeted the party at the entrance to
his palace."

maharani (maharahnee), maharanee
HINDI [from maharajni, great rani,
great queen] noun the wife of a
maharaja, or a Hindu princess with a
status above that of rani.

maharishi (mahareeshee, mahahreeshee) SANSKRIT [from maharsi great seer,
from mahat great and rsi sage] noun a
Hindu sage or spiritual teacher: "Every
sentence that passed from the maharishi'c lips
was studiously written down and eagerly communicated to his devotees."

mahatma (mahatma) SANSKRIT [great
soul, from mahatman great-souled]
noun a person who is widely revered
as being wise or high-minded, also a
courtesy title for such a person.

Mahdi (mahdee) ARABIC [from mahdiy he who is rightly guided, from
hada to guide aright] noun a Muslim
messiah or messianic leader.

mahjong (mahzhon , mah'on ),
mahjongg CHINESE [from dialect
ma Jiang sparrows, after the sparrow design on some mahjong counters] noun a game of Chinese origin
played by four persons with 136 or
144 rectangular tiles and dice.

maillot (mTO, myo) FRENCH noun
tights worn by dancers or gymnasts;
may also refer to a jersey or to a
woman's one-piece bathing suit.

maiolica See MAJOLICA.

maison (ma~zon(g)) FRENCH [house]
noun a house, usually referring to
a fashion house or other commercial
enterprise.

maison de couture (mayzon(g) da
kootoor) FRENCH [house of fashion]
noun phrase a fashion house: "The
established maisons de couture have produced a bewildering variety of designs for
the coming winter season."

maisonette (mavzanet), maisonnette
FRENCH [from maisonnette, diminutive of maison house] noun a small
house or self-contained apartment
(usually on more than one floor):
"Such maisonettes are much sought-after
by newlyweds and others working in the
city."

mai tai (mTtT) TAHITIAN [from maitai
good] noun phrase a cocktail containing light rum, curagao, and fruit juices: I developed a taste for mai tai
during a trip to Hawaii."

maitre d'hotel (maytra dotcl, metra
dotel, mayt dotel, met ciotel), maitre d'hOtel FRENCH [master of hotel]
noun phrase (plural maitres d'hotel)
a headwaiter, head cook, steward, or
majordomo of a hotel or restaurant:
"The maitre d'hotel showed them to a
quiet table in a secluded corner of the main
restaurant." 'abbreviated form maitre d'
(maytra dee, metra dee).

Majlis (mailis) ARABIC [assembly]
noun the parliament of Iran and various other Middle Eastern and North
African countries.

majolica (majolika), maiolica (maolika, miika) ITALIAN [from maiolica,
after Maiorica Majorca] noun a type
of richly colored Italian earthenware
pottery with a decorated tin glaze.

majordomo (majardomo) SPANISH
[from mayordomo, ultimately from
Latin major domus chief of the house]
noun a steward or butler, the head
of the staff of a large household or the
person in charge of arrangements for
a particular event: "...Etienne saw the
bail the captain and lieutenant of the
guard, with certain of their men-at-arms,
the chaplain, the secretaries, the doctor,
the majordomo, the ushers, the steward, the
huntsmen, the gamekeeper, the grooms, and
the valets" (Honore do Balzac, Hated Son,
1831-6).

makimono (makimono) JAPANESE
[rolled object] noun a horizontal
Japanese scroll painting.

malade imaginaire (malahd imajanair,
malahd imazhanair) FRENCH [imaginary invalid] noun phrase (plural
malades imaginaires, malahd imajanair, malahd imazhanair) a hypochondriac, a person with an imaginary
illness: Joly was the `malade imaginaire' junior.What he had won in medicine was to be more of an invalid than a
doctor" (Victor Hugo, Les Miserables,
1862).

maladroit (maladroit) FRENCH [badly
skilled, from mal bad and adroit
skilled] adjective inept, clumsy, awkward: "It is easy enough to spoil the lives
of our neighbours without taking so much
trouble: we can do it by lazy acquiescence
and lazy omission, by trivial falsities for
which we hardly know a reason, by small
frauds neutralised by small extravagances,
by maladroit flatteries and clumsily improvised insinuations" (George Eliot, The
Mill on the Floss, 1860).

mala fide (mala fidee, mala fida)
LATIN [with bad faith] adverb phrase
with or in bad faith, fraudulently.
'adjective phrase deceitful, malicious,
fraudulent, dishonest.

mala fides (mala fideez, mala flda),z)
LATIN [bad faith] noun phrase bad
faith, an intent to deceive, cheat, or
defraud.

malaise (males, mall) FRENCH
[discomfort] noun a sense of unease
or a general feeling of ill health, lack of
energy, debility, possibly marking the
onset of a disease: "To-day, in mysterious
malaise, he raged or rejoiced with equal nervous swiftness, and to-day the light of spring
was so winsome that he led his head and
saw" (Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt, 1922).

malapropos (malaprap) FRENCH [from
mal d propos badly to the purpose, not
to the point] adverb inappropriately,
inopportunely. -adjective inappropriate, inopportune, unreasonable: "And
I know that he was suspelled or expended,
I don't remember which, but it was something bad, and Aunt Clara cried,' added
Jamie all in one breath, for he possessed a
fatal gift of making malapropos remarks,
which caused him to be a terror to his family" (Louisa May Alcott, Rose in Bloom,
1876).

malaria (malaireea) ITALIAN [from
mala aria bad air] noun a disease
transmitted by the bite of anopheline
mosquitos carrying parasitic protozons
of the genus Plasmodium that induces
periodic attacks of fever and chills.

mal de mer (mal da mer, mal da mair)
FRENCH [malady of sea] noun phrase
seasickness: "She spent the entire voyage
confined to her cabin by mal de mer."

mal du pays (mal doo pay) FRENCH
[sickness of the country] noun phrase
homesickness.

mal du siecle (mal doo seey kal)
FRENCH [dislike of the century] noun
phrase world weariness, weariness
of life, disgust with the world.

malentendu (malontondoo) FRENCH
[misheard] noun a misunderstanding, a mistake. 'adjective mistaken,
misapprehended.

malgre (malgre, malgray) FRENCH
[despite] preposition despite, in spite
of, notwithstanding: "I had, as I said,
left the podesta with Sheenys portmanteau,
and, unwilling to part with some of the
articles it contained some shirts, a bottle
of whisky, a few cakes ofWindsor soap, etc.
etc.,-I had carried it thus far on my
shoulders, but now was compelled to sacrce it malgre moi" (William M. Thackcray, The Adventures of Major Gahagan,
1838).

mambo (mahmbo) AMERICAN SPANISH [probably from Haitian creole
mambo to talk] noun a ballroom
dance of Latin American origin, similar to the rumba and the cha-cha.

mamma mia (mamma meea) ITALIAN
[my mother] interjection my mother!
(an exclamation of surprise or amazement): "The new car drew gasps of
`mamma mia!' from several of the automotive writers attending the event."

mammon (maman) LATIN [from
Greek mamona, ultimately from Aramaic mamona riches] noun material

wealth or possessions, a personification of money and other riches: "`Well,
he thought that since he couldn't serve God
and Mammon he'd better stick to Mammon,' said Miss Cornelia crisply" (Lucy
Maud Montgomery, Anne's House of
Dreams, 1917).

mammoth (mamath) RUSSIAN [from
mamont or mamot] noun an example
of a genus of extinct Pleistocene elephants characterized by long curving
tusks and hairy coats and, by extension, anything vast or monumental
in scale or difficulty. -adjective vast,
huge, immense, daunting: "The engineers werefaced with a mammoth task and
little time to do what was necessary."

manana (many a, mayhna) SPANISH
[tomorrow, from eras manana tomorrow early, ultimately from Latin mane
in the morning] noun tomorrow,
the indefinite future: `In this country
everything gets put off until `manana,'
which could mean anything from tomorrow to some time next month or even later."
-adverb at an unspecified time in the
future.

manchego (manchygo) SPANISH [of La
Mancha] noun a semifirm cheese made
from sheep's milk in the La Mancha
region of Spain.

mand See MANDAMUS.

mandala (mandala) SANSKRIT [from
mandalam circle] noun in Hindu or Buddhist religion, a circular geometrical symbol representing the universe.

mandamus (mari ym3s) LATIN [we
command, from mandare] noun (plural
mandamuses) a writ from a superior court ordering an inferior body
to carry out an official act or duty:
A mandamus was once moved for, says
Doctor Burn, to compel the churchwardens
and overseers to sign a certcate; but the
court of King's Bench rejected the motion
as a very strange attempt" (Adam Smith,
Wealth of Nations, 1776). -abbreviated
form mand.

mandarin (mandarin) CHINESE [from
Sanskrit mantrin counsellor, from
mantra counsel] noun a public official, a bureaucrat (originally referring
to officials of the Chinese Empire but
now taken more generally to apply to
senior civil servants or government
officials): "Rose said she would be kind,,
but had not the least idea how to entertain the queer guest, who looked as if he
had walked out of one of the rice-paper
landscapes on the wall, and sat nodding at
her so like a toy Mandarin that she could
hardly keep sober" (Louisa May Alcott,
Eight Cousins, 1875).

mandolin (mandolin, mandolin), mandoline ITALIAN [from mandolino,
diminutive of mandola] noun a musical instrument of the lute family.

manege (manezh, manezh, mangy),
manege FRENCH [from Italian maneg

gio training of a horse, ultimately from
Latin manus hand] noun the art of
horsemanship or a place where such
skills are taught; may also refer to
the movements or paces of a trained
horse.

manet (manet) LATIN [he/she remains]
verb he/she remains on stage (stage
direction).