The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (48 page)

manga (mango) JAPANESE noun a
Japanese comic book or story in cartoon strip form: "Publishers are planning mango versions of Shakespeare and
classic children's books."

mange-tout (monzh-too, monj-too)
FRENCH [eat-all] noun (plural mangetouts) a form of pea in which the
peas are cooked and eaten in their
pods.

mangrove(mangrov) PORTUGUESE
[from mangue mangrove, itself from
Spanish mangle] noun a tropical
maritime tree or shrub of the genus
Rhizophora that often grows in dense
masses forming mangrove swamps:
"Venomous snakes and alligators are just
two of the dangers awaiting those who
are foolish enough to wander into the
mangroves."

mania (nee3, n),3) GREEK
[madness, from mainesthai to be mad]
noun a state of excitement, passion,
or enthusiasm amounting to mental
disorder or frenzy; may also refer to the object of such a passion or desire:
"She revealed a mania for detail, for getting the little things right."

manifesto (manifesto) ITALIAN
[denunciation, from manifestare to
show, to display] noun (plural manifestos or manifestoes) a written
declaration of beliefs, intentions, or
views issued by an individual, political party, or other organization: "I
wrote and published a manifesto in the
Review, in which I took the very highest
ground in his behalf, claiming for him
not mere acquittal, but praise and honour" (John Stuart Mill, Autobiograph),
1873).

manna (mana) GREEK [from Aramaic
manna, ultimately from Hebrew man]
noun a miraculous supply of food
provided by God for the Israelites
during their flight from Egypt and
hence any apparently miraculous and
unexpected gift or supply of good
things: "To the hard-pressed industry the
new government order was manna from
heaven."

mannequin (manakin) FRENCH [figurine, from Dutch mannekijn little
man] noun a dressmaker's, tailor's,
or artist's dummy, or a person who
models clothing.

mano a mano (mahno a mahno)
SPANISH [hand to hand] adjective phrase,
adverb phrase hand to hand, face to
face. -noun phrase a confrontation.

manoir (manwah) FRENCH [manor,
from manoir to dwell] noun a French
manor house.

ma non troppo (mah non tropo)
ITALIAN [but not too much] adverb
phrase (in music) but not too
much.

manque (mori kay) FRENCH [missed,
past participle of manquer to lack,
from Italian manco lacking, left-handed]
adjective would-be, unfulfilled, frustrated, failed, unsuccessful: "He denies
it, but I suspect he is a novelist manque."
'"noun, feminine manquee.

mantilla (manteeya, mantila) SPANISH
[diminutive of manta cloak, ultimately
from Latin mantellum mantle] noun a
light scarf or shawl of a type traditionally worn by women in Spanish
and Latin American countries, usually covering the head and shoulders: "The black lace Maud has just
taken off the green one will do to edge
the violet, and with your nice silk mantilla you are complete, don't you see?"
(Louisa May Alcott, An Old-Fashioned
Girl, 1870).

mantra (mantra) SANSKRIT [sacred
counsel, from manyate to think] noun
in Hinduism and other eastern philosophies a mystical incantation, invocation, or prayer and thus, by extension,
any watchword, personal slogan, or
belief: "Caution in all things is her personal mantra."

maquette (maket) FRENCH [from
Italian macchietta speck, ultimately
from Latin macula spot] noun a
small preliminary model of a building or sculpture: "Each architect will
be required to produce a maquette of the
finished building for consideration by the
competition judges."

maquillage (makeeyahzh) FRENCH
[from maquiller to stain, from Old
French mascurer to darken] noun
makeup, cosmetics.

maquis (makee) FRENCH [from Italian
macchia thicket] noun (plural maquis,
makee, makeez) dense, scrubby
undergrowth of the type commonly
found around the shores of the Mediterranean and on the island of Corsica;
may also refer to the Corsican guerrilla fighters who resisted German
invasion from the safety of the maquis
during World War II: "Few patrols dared
to venture into the maquis in pursuit of the
resistance groups who used it as a base for
their subversive activities."

maraca (marahka, maraca) PoRTUGUESE [maracd, fromTupi] noun a Latin
American percussion instrument made
from a dried, hollowed-out gourd containing pebbles, beans, or beads, and
shaken by a handle, usually in pairs, to
make a rattling sound: "The singer was
accompanied on guitar and maracas."

marathon (marathon) GREEK [after
Marathon, Greece, where the Greeks

defeated the Persians in 490 n.c.,
the news of the victory being rushed
to Athens by a long-distance runner] noun a long-distance race run
over a course of 26 miles 385 yards
(42.2 kilometers); by extension, any
endurance contest or challenge that
requires prolonged effort or concentration: "The setbacks turned the project
into something of a marathon for members
of the research team."

marchen (mairkan) GERMAN [little
tale] noun (plural marchen) a fairy
story or folk tale.

Mardi Gras (mahrdee grah) FRENCH
[fat Tuesday] noun phrase a carnival
or other festivity marking Shrove Tuesday; may also refer more generally to
any carnival or fair: "The streets were
crowded with people enjoying the Mardi
Gras."

mare (mahray) LATIN [sea] noun (plural maria, mahreea) (in astronomy)
a large, smooth, dark area on the surface of moon or a planet.

mare clausum (mahray klowzam,
mahray klorzam) LATIN [closed sea]
noun phrase (plural maria clausa,
mahreea klowza, mahreea klorza)
a body of water that is under the exclusive jurisdiction of one nation and
barred to others: "The Russians declared
the sea a mare clausum and challenged any
foreign vessels venturing into it."

mare liberum (mahray leebaram) LATIN
[free sea] noun phrase (plural maria
libera, mahray leebara) a body of
water that is open to all nations.

marginalia (mahjanaleea) LATIN [marginal things, from marginalia] plural
noun marginal notes in a text or,
more generally, anything of a nonessential or peripheral nature: "Details of
variant readings of the text may be found
in the marginalia."

maria See MARE.

mariachi (mareeahchee) MEXICAN
SPANISH [possibly from French mariage
marriage] noun a Mexican street
band or individual member of such a
band, or the type of music played by
such musicians: "No wedding in this part
of the world would be complete without a
mariachi band."

mariage blanc (mareeazh blon )
FRENCH [white marriage] noun phrase
(plural mariages blancs) a marriage
in which the partners have no sexual
relationship.

mariage de convenance (mareeazh
da konvanons) FRENCH [marriage
of convenience] noun phrase (plural
mariages de convenance) a marriage of convenience, a marriage
contracted for the purposes of financial gain, expediency, or reasons
other than mutual affection or love:
"The merging of the two businesses was

considered a mariage de convenance by
shareholders in both concerns."

marl complaisant (maree komplayzori ) FRENCH [complacent husband] noun phrase (plural maris
complaisants) a husband who
is aware of his wife's adultery but
chooses to tolerate it.

marijuana (marawahna), marihuana
MEXICAN SPANISH [from mariguana or
marihuana, perhaps from the names
Maria Juana Mary Jane] noun the
dried leaves and flowers of the hemp
or cannabis plant, which have an intoxicating effect when smoked in cigarettes or chewed.

marimba (marimba) BANTU [xylophone] noun a type of percussion
instrument of southern African origin, resembling a xylophone.

marina (mareena) ITALIAN/SPANISH
[of the sea, ultimately from Latin marinus marine] noun a harbor or mooring place with facilities for yachts or
pleasure boats.

marinade (martin) FRENCH [from
mariner to pickle, to marinate, perhaps ultimately from Italian marinare
to marinate] noun a savory sauce in
which meat, fish, and other food is
soaked before cooking. verb to soak
food in a savory sauce before cooking
it; to marinate: "Leave the meat to marinade in the sauce overnight."

marionette (mareeanet) FRENCH [puppet, from Marion, a diminutive of
Marie] noun a puppet operated by
hand, strings, or wires: "Computeroriginated images are gradually taking
the place of hand-operated marionettes in
children's television and films."

marmite (mahrmit, mahrmeet)
FRENCH [hypocritical, in allusion to
the hidden contents of the lidded
cooking pot, from marmotter to mutter
and mite cat] noun an earthenware
cooking pot.

marque (mahrk) FRENCH [mark,
from marquer to mark, to brand]
noun a brand or make of product:
"This car bears the emblem of one of the
most famous marques in the automotive
industry."

marrons glaces (maron glas4)
FRENCH [glazed chestnuts] plural noun
chestnuts preserved in and glazed
with sugar: "I was given a box of marrons
glaces at Christmas."

mascara (maskara) SPANISH [from
maschera mask] noun a cosmetic for
coloring the eyelashes: "He could tell
from the state of her mascara that she had
been crying again."

mascarpone (maskarponee) ITALIAN
[from mascarpa whey cheese] noun a
soft, mild Italian cream cheese: "Mascarpone is often used in making desserts,
such as tiramisu."

massage (masahzh, masahj) FRENCH
[rub down, from masser to massage,
from Arabic massa to stroke] noun the
practice of rubbing, kneading, tapping,
and stroking the skin for therapeutic or pleasurable purposes. -verb to
administer a massage or, alternatively,
to flatter someone or to manipulate
data or figures: "The government has been
accused of massaging the figures relating to
illegal immigrants."

masseur (maser) FRENCH [one who
massages, from masser to massage,
from Arabic massa to stroke] noun a
person who gives massages. noun,
feminine masseuse (maserz) a female
masseur.

massif (maseef, masif) FRENCH [from
massif massive] noun a substantial
mountain or group of mountains:
"Dark clouds loomed over the peaks of
the massf"

mastaba (mastaba), mastabah ARABIC
[from mastabah stone bench] noun
an ancient Egyptian tomb rectangular
in shape with sloping walls and a flat
roof: "The first archaeologist to locate
the king's mastaba was a Frenchman
with relatively little knowledge of ancient
Egypt."

matador (matador) SPANISH [one
who kills, from matar to kill, ultimately from Latin mactator slayer]
noun a bullfighter who actually kills
the bull in a bullfight: "The entry of the matador is usually greeted with a roar of
cheering and salutes from the crowd."

matelot (matlo, matalo) FRENCH
[ultimately from Middle Dutch mattenoot bedmate] noun a sailor: `7 had
been given to understand long before that
he had the rating of a second-class able
seaman (matelot leger) in the fleet which
sailed fromToulon for the conquest ofAlgeria in the year of grace 1830" (Joseph
Conrad, Some Reminiscences).

mater (matter, rYmyta) LATIN [mother]
noun mother.

materfamilias (maytarfamileeas) LATIN
[mistress of the house, from mater
mother and familia household] noun
a woman who is the head of a household or family. See also PATERFAMILIAS.

materia medica (mateereea medika)
LATIN [medical matter, from Greek
pule iatrike healing material] noun
phrase drugs, medicines, and other
ingredients used as medical remedies,
or the study of such substances: "Dr.
Duncan's lectures on Materia Medica
at 8 o'clock on a winter's morning are
something fearful to remember" (Charles
Darwin, Autobiography, 1887).

materiel (mateeriel), materiel FRENCH
[material] noun the equipment, supplies, ammunition, or other apparatus
used by an army or other organization
or institution: "The wagons were loaded high with guns and other materiel for the
western front."

matinee (matany), matinee FRENCH
[from matin morning, ultimately from
Latin matin morning, after the goddess of morning Matuta] noun a theatrical performance, movie showing
or social event that takes place in the
daytime (especially an afternoon performance): "Demand for tickets was so
high that the management decided to add
several extra matinees."

matrix (ptriks) LATIN [female animal used for breeding] noun (plural
matrixes or DLa~trisccz)
the womb, or any place in which
something can develop and grow; can
also refer in mathematics to a rectangular array of figures arranged in rows
and columns: "The little, interesting
shapes had vanished from the scene; all
that remained was a vast, dark matrix of
sorrow and tragedy..." (D. H. Lawrence,
Sons and Lovers, 1913).

matzo (mahtsa, mahtso), matzah
YIDDISH [from matse, from Hebrew
massah cake of unleavened bread] noun
(plural matzos, mahtsaz, mahtsoz, or
matzoth, mahtsot, mahtsoth) unleavened bread eaten at Passover.

mausoleum (mosaleeam, mozaleeam)
LATIN [from Greek mausoleion, after
the 4th-century B.C. ruler Mausolus of Caria with reference to his
magnificent tomb at Halicarnassus] noun (plural mausoleums or mausolea, mosaleea, mozaleea) a large
tomb, usually comprising a substantial
stone structure for housing the dead
above ground: "Strange goings-on have
been reported in the vicinity of the family's
vast old mausoleum, ranging from ghostly
lights to unearthly shrieks."

mauvais quart d'heure (mova), kah
der) FRENCH [bad quarter of an hour]
noun phrase (plural mauvais quarts
d'heure) an unpleasant or unfortunate but shortlived period of time:
"The new administration has has a rough
ride lately, but senators know that every
president is doomed to suffer a mauvais
quart d'heure from time to time."

maven (mayVdn), mavin YIDDISH
[from meyvn, itself from Hebrew mebhin understanding] noun an expert,
someone with expert knowledge, a
connoisseur.