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What are some loanwords (originated in another language and usually retains original spelling in equivalent english) for concepts, things, or experiences that English doesnt necessarily have yet?

If you could, please format it

WORD, DEFINITION

I want to add them to a flashcard deck for myself, I casually collect loanwords and have been getting turned on to trying out csv/flashcards lately haha

Feel free to do the same, if the format is followed you can just copy and paste it to a new line of the csv deck

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  • Takalluf: polite hesitation or excessive formality.

    So your guests being formal or reserved are told there is no need for takalluf.

  • Fanaa: Used in both a spiritual and romantic sense. In Sufism, it means the annihilation of the self or ego, a total breaking free from the material world to achieve union with the divine. In romance, it implies a total surrender or losing oneself completely in the beloved.

    Its very commonly used in poetry, particularly Sufi.

    Also a very beautiful sound to the word. Urdu is honestly a very beautiful sounding language.

  • UBUNTU, from Zulu.

    Ubuntu is a concept in Bantu philosophy which is commonly translated as humanity or humaneness, but those are rough and don't capture the nuance.

    In a bunch of SciFi stories, a robot or alien joins a group of humans. The humans are initially wary of the alien/robot, but they spend time together, bond, and realize that they're not really that different after all. A human says that, while their new friend might not be Homo sapiens, they're definitely human.

    Ubuntu captures that whole concept in one word. It refers to the subtle, ineffable qualities which "make us human", as exemplified by our social bonds and how we interact with each other.

59 comments