The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (6 page)

amontillado (amontilah(1o) SPANISH
[in the manner of Montilla, Andalusia] noun a pale-colored medium
dry Spanish sherry: "Luchresi cannot
tell Amontillado from Sherry" (Edgar
Allan Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado,"
1846).

amoretto (amareto) ITALIAN [diminutive of amore love, ultimately from
Latin amor love] noun (plural amorettos or amoretti, amarctcc) a cupid
or cherub: "Carved amoretti adorn the
tomb at each corner."

amoroso (amoroso) ITALIAN [from
Latin amorosus amorous, from amor
love] noun (plural amorosos or amorosi, amarosee) a lover, a gallant;
also the name of a sweetened oloroso
sherry: "Singular though it may seem,
Winterbourne was vexed that the young
girl, in joining her amoroso, should not
appear more impatient" (Henry James,
Daisy Miller, 1879). 'adverb (in music)
to be played tenderly. adjective (in
music) tender.

amor omnia vincit See AMOR vINCIT
OMNIA.

amor patriae (amor patriee) LATIN
[love of country] noun phrase patriotism, love of one's country.

amor vincit omnia (amor vinchit
omneea), amor omnia vincit LATIN
[love conquers all] noun phrase love
conquers all, love overcomes all difficulties: "We spent our wedding night
in a huge four-poster bed on which was
inscribed the legend `amor vincit omnia'."

amour (amoor) FRENCH [love, ultimately from Latin amare to love]
noun a love affair or a lover: "The
papers will quickly tire of reporting her
amours."

amourette (amaret) FRENCH [little
love affair] noun a brief, relatively
insignificant, love affair: "My dear
Menteith; said Montrose, very kindly, were
you one of the gay cavaliers of Whitehall,

who are, in their way, as great self-seekers
as our friend Dalgetty, should I need to
plague you with inquiring into such an
amourette as this?"' (Walter Scott, A
Legend of Montrose, 1819).

amour propre (amoor propra)
FRENCH [love of oneself] noun phrase
self-esteem, self-love, vanity: "7 smiled
inwardly; and strange to say, though my
amour propre was excited not disagreeably
by the conquest, my better feelings remained
untouched" (Charlotte Bronte, The Professor, 1857).

amphora (amfara) LATIN [from Greek
amphoreus, from amphi around and
phoreus bearer] noun (plural amphoras or amphorae, amfaree, amfari a
two-handled jar or vase with a narrow neck and oval body, of a type
associated with ancient Greek culture: "This potsherd had, in my judgment, once been a part of an ordinary
amphora of medium size" (H. Rider
Haggard, She, 1887).

amuck See AMOK.

amuse-bouche (amyuuzboosh), amusegueule (5rnyuuzg4l) FRENCH [amuse
the mouth] noun (plural amusebouches, amuse-gueules) (in cooking) a small savory item served as an
appetizer before a meal: "We had an
amuse-bouche offield-mushroom soup."

-ana (ahna) LATIN [neuter plural
of -anus, an adjective ending] suffix denoting things relating to a person or
thing, e.g., Shakespeareana,Victoriana.

anabasis (anahbhshs) GREEK [a going
up, inland march, recalling a retreat
by Greek warriors from the Persian
Empire, as recorded in the Anabasis
of Xenophon (c. 430-c. 355 B.C.)]
noun (plural anabeses, anahbasees) a
military advance or expedition, especially one going inland or up-country
in difficult circumstances.

anaemia See ANEMIA.

anaesthesia See ANESTHESIA.

analecta (analekta) GREEK [analekta
things gathered up, from ana up and
legein to gather] plural noun a collection of short literary sayings or
observations.

analgesia (analzheea, analzeea)
GREEK [painlessness, from an not and
algos pain] noun insensibility to pain
through the use of drugs or other
remedies.

analysis (analasas) GREEK [a breaking up, from analyein to break up]
noun (plural analyses, analaseez) a
detailed examination or study of something, or the breaking down of a thing
into its constituent elements: Marilla
was not given to subjective analysis of
her thoughts and feelings" (Luc), Maud
Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables,
1908).

anaphora (hnafhrh) GREEK [carrying
back or repetition, from ana back and
pherein to bear ] noun (in rhetoric)
the repetition of a word or phrase at
the beginning of successive sentences,
lines, or clauses.

anaphrodisiac (anafradizeeak) GREEK
[not belonging to Aphrodite] adjective discouraging sexual desire:
"The seeds of the poppy are traditionally
believed to have an anaphrodisiac effect
upon those who consume them." See also
APHRODISIAC.

anathema (anathama) GREEK [something devoted to evil, from anatithenai
to set up] noun (plural anathemas or
anathemata, anathamahta) a curse,
or a person or thing that inspires loathing in others: "Lydia was sure that Lucy
was a great deal too good for him. Cecilia
had wondered where he would go to -a
form of anathema which had brought down
a rebuke from her mother" (Anthony Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds, 1873).

ancien regime (onsyon(g) rayzheem)
FRENCH [old regime] noun phrase (plural anciens regimes) the system of
government of France prior to the
1789 revolution and, by extension, any
former social or political system or
other mode of things that has become
outdated: "The ancien regime was utterly
swept away when the army took over."

andante (andantay, andantee) ITALIAN [walking, present participle of andare to go] adverb (in music) to be
played moderately slowly. '"adjective (in
music) moderately slow. -noun (plural
andantes) a piece of music to be
played at a moderately slow pace: "The
grand piano was a splendid instrument, the
symphony was well performed. At least, so it
seemed to Nekhludoffi, who knew and liked
that symphony. Listening to the beautiful
andante, he felt a tickling in his nose, he
was so touched by his many virtues" (Leo
Tolstoy, Resurrection, 1899-1900).

andantino (andanteeno) ITALIAN
[diminutive of andante walking] adverb
(in music) to be played at a pace
slightly faster than andante. -adjective
(in music) slightly faster than andante.
noun a musical piece to be played at
an andantino pace.

androgynous (andantis) GREEK
[androgynos hermaphrodite] adjective
of neither one sex nor the other,
or having the characteristics of both
sexes: "No one will suppose that the marsupials still remained androgynous, after
they had approximately acquired their
present structure" (Charles Darwin, The
Descent of Man, 1871).

android (android) GREEK [androeides
manlike] noun a robot with a human
form: "The space station of the future will
be operated largely by robots, possibly in
the form of androids."

anemia (aneemeea), anaemia LATIN
[from Greek anaimia bloodlessness]

noun a lack of blood or a shortage of
red blood cells in the blood, resulting
in a pasty complexion; also used more
generally to refer to anything deemed
bloodless or lacking in vitality: "The
doctors diagnosed anemia and the patient
was confined to bed."

anesthesia (anastheezha), anaesthesia
LATIN [from Greek anaisthesia insensibility, from aisthanesthai to perceive]
noun a loss of sensation (through
the use of drugs or other techniques):
"The patients began to emerge from their
anesthesia after some 12 hours."

angelus (angalas) LATIN [angel, abbreviation of Angelus Domini angel of
the lord, from Greek aggelos messenger] noun a devotional prayer on
the subject of the Incarnation that is
recited in Catholic churches in the
morning, at noon, and at sunset each
day (named after the opening word);
can also refer to the bell rung when
the prayer is recited: "The sound of the
angelus bell tolling in the village church
drifted to them on the noonday breeze."

angina pectoris (anjlna pektoris)
LATIN [strangling of the chest, from
Greek anchone strangling and pectoris
of the breast] noun phrase a heart
disease causing painful spasms in the
chest.

Anglomania (anglomarrieeh) LATIN
[from Anglus English and mania
madness] noun an excessive admiration for England and English
people.

Anglophilia (anglofileea) LATIN [from
Latin Anglus English and Greek philos
friend] noun a love or admiration for
England and English people.

Anglophobia (anglofobeea) LATIN [from
Anglus English and Greek phobos fear]
noun a hatred or fear of England and
English people.

angst (ankst) GERMAN [Angst fear,
anguish, dread] noun a feeling of
apprehension, anxiety, or insecurity:
"His music shows a barely disguised
angst."

anima (an3m3) LATIN [soul] noun
(plural animas or animae, anamz)
the self, a person's inner self, or the
feminine aspect of an individual's
personality (such as in psychoanalysis).

anima mundi (anama mandee) LATIN
[mind of the world] noun phrase world
soul, the underlying power that controls the universe.

animato (anamahto) ITALIAN [animated, from Latin animatus] adverb
(in music) to be played with animation. adjective (in music) animated.

anime (anamay) JAPANESE [animation] noun a style of animated film
originating in Japan, often depicting a
science-fiction story.

animus (an3m3s) LATIN [mind] noun
(plural animuses or animi, anamee,
anaml) the mind, the spirit; can
also refer to ill will or hostility
toward someone or something. Also
used in psychoanalysis to refer to the
masculine aspect of an individual's
personality: "Dorothea had observed
the animus with which Will's part in the
painful story had been recalled more than
once; but she had uttered no word, being
checked now, as she had not been formerly
in speaking of Will, by the consciousness of a deeper relation between them
which must always remain in consecrated
secrecy" (George Eliot, Middlemarch,
1871-72).

ankh (ank) EGYPTIAN [life, nh live]
noun a cross topped by a loop (a
symbol of life in ancient Egypt).

annex (aneks), annexe FRENCH [Old
French annexe joined, ultimately from
Latin annectere to bind to] noun something added on as an expansion or
appendix of the main part (typically
an extension to a house): "The workshop
was housed in an annex at the back of the
building." verb to attach; to incorporate (territory) into one's own.

anno Domini (ano domanee) LATIN
[in the year of the Lord] adverb phrase
in the year of the Lord (used in
Christian chronology, indicating the
number of years that have passed
since the birth of Christ). -abbreviated
form A.D.

anno hegirae (ano hijiree, ano hijaree)
LATIN [in the year of the Hegira] adverb
phrase in the year of the migration
(used in Islamic chronology, indicating
the number of years that have passed
since the Hegira migration to Medina
led by the prophet Muhammad in A.D.
622). -abbreviated form A.H.

anno regni (ano regnee) LATIN [in
the year of the reign] adverb phrase in
the year of the reign (of a particular
monarch). abbreviated form A.R.

annus horribilis (antis horibilis)
LATIN [horrible year, based on annus
mirabilis] noun phrase a year of misfortune and disaster: "After matrimonial troubles in the royal family and a
fire at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth
II said that 1992 had been an annus
horribilis."

annus mirabilis (antis mirahbalas)
LATIN [wonderful year, after John
Dryden's poem Ann us Mirabilis: The Year
of Wonders (1667)] noun phrase (plural
anni mirabiles, anee mirahbaleez)
a remarkable year, a year of wonders:
With regard to astronomy, this year has
been something of an annus mirabilis."

anonymous (i.non3m3s) LATIN [from
Greek anonymos anonymous, from a
non and onyma name] adjective not
named, unidentified, of unknown
authorship; can also refer to anything
that lacks distinctiveness, character,
or originality: "The performers looked out from the stage onto a sea of anonymous
spectators."

anorak (anorak) DANISH [from Inuit
annoraaq] noun a weatherproof hooded
pullover jacket: "The climbers were
dressed in anoraks, wooly hats, and climbing boots."

anorexia (anorekseed) LATIN [no
appetite, from Greek a non and orexis
appetite] noun loss of appetite.

anorexia nervosa (anarekseea nervosa)
LATIN [nervous loss of appetite] noun
phrase an eating disorder in which
sufferers develop an obsessive desire
to lose weight, even at the risk of
their own health. "Self-induced vomiting
has been associated with the psychiatric
diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and a newly
proposed disorder named bulimia" (journal of the American Medical Association,
1978).

Anschluss (anshlas) GERMAN [connection, political union, from anschliessen to join] noun (plural Anschlusses
or Anschlusse) a political or economic union of two countries (often
applied specifically to the annexation
of Austria by Germany in 1938):
"Memories of the 1938 Anschluss still
cloud diplomatic relations between the
two countries."

ante (antee) LATIN [before] noun a
stake put up by a player in gambling,
or more generally any payment made in advance: "The one-eyed man upped the
ante by $1,000."

antebellum (anteebelam), antebellum, ante bellum LATIN [from
antebellum before the war] adjective
of or relating to the period before the
outbreak of a war (often referring
specifically to the Civil War): "`On My
Journey Home, hymn by Isaac Mattsfound in
many of the southern country songbooks of
the ante bellum period" (Harriet Beecher
Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852).

antechamber (anteechaymbar) FRENCH
[from Italian anti before and French
chambre room] noun an anteroom, an
outer room leading to another principal room, a waiting room: "He was
beckoned into the vast, drafty antechamber
and had to wait until the prince appeared
an hour later."

ante Christum (antee kristam) LATIN
[before Christ] adverb phrase before
Christ (sometimes used as an alternative to B.C. in Christian chronology
to refer to the period before Christ's
birth). 'abbreviated form A.C.