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Looking for words with specific etymological roots? Have a look at this list of English words that originated from Latin. Latin was widely spoken in the Roman Empire, which spanned much of Europe and the Middle East.
Nov 3, 2023 · Latin has had a significant influence on the English language. It is estimated that around 80% of the English vocabulary can be traced back to Latin. Latin has heavily influenced English in terms of grammar, vocabulary, and the development of many technical and scientific terms.
- English Is A “Vulgar” Language
- John Wycliffe and Bible Translation
- The Printing Press
- English and Eloquence
- Neologising
- William Caxton and The “Romanticising” of English
- Learning Latin
In the 15th century, English had produced no great poets, philosophers, or playwrights. The only exception was Geoffrey Chaucer, the medieval writer of The Canterbury Tales, and maybe a few other writers. But they were seen as the exception that proved the rule: English was a lowly, crude, and “barbaric” language with little literary or artistic va...
To really understand the outlook, we need to get into a bit of religious history (which doubles as linguistic history). In the 14th century, John Wycliffe, a highly educated Englishman, wanted to translate the Bible into English. He met much resistance from the Church and the government. A key objection was that English simply wasn’t good enough fo...
After a dour century when the average lay reader was not likely to find any complex text in the common vernacular, there was a sudden explosion in translation work. This was a response to the invention of the printing press and a spike in the rate of literacy. But this did not mean the translators suddenly found a fresh appreciation for English. Ju...
English lacked eloquence. At the time, eloquence meant “a word that fits the meaning.” Just as you would not dress a king in rags, or a peasant in silk robes, so you would not clothe a beautiful text in “rude English garb.” When a beautiful word corresponded so a beautiful meaning, the language was deemed eloquent. In the 16th century, we find no E...
English lacked eloquence. It was “barren” or “deficient,” which meant the English vocabulary lacked equal analogues to words in Latin, Greek, and other languages. The proposed solution by translators was to borrow, and thereby enrich the English language with foreign words. Today, we call this neologising: the creation or introduction of new words ...
Beginning with William Caxton, nearly all foreign texts brought into England were “Englished” with the stated aim of enriching the English language. Caxton selected French and Latin bestsellers, which were then continuously reprinted by his successors, such as de Worde and Pynson. The purpose for doing so, he stated, was Thomas Hoby shares the same...
Today, English is no longer seen as a “vulgar” language. After the labours of 16th-century translators, English became much more respectable in the literary world. Afterwards, great philosophers, poets, and playwrights (the most important being William Shakespeare) emerged who published significant works in English. These brought it into its own as...
- Blake Adams
May 26, 2019 · Here are some English words from Latin directly or from Latin via French or Spanish. These words are thought to have come from newspaper articles from around 1923. One of the words on the list, mattoid, does not appear to be used any longer, so it is not included.
Oct 7, 2015 · Over 60 percent of all English words have Greek or Latin roots. In the vocabulary of the sciences and technology, the figure rises to over 90 percent. About 10 percent of the Latin vocabulary has found its way directly into English without an intermediary (usually French).
Although English is a Germanic language, it has Latin influences. Its grammar and core vocabulary are inherited from Proto-Germanic , but a significant portion of the English vocabulary comes from Romance and Latinate sources.
Apr 14, 2024 · This is a list of English words derived from Latin words, including Latin nouns, verbs and adjectives. The list is organized by Latin words. See also: Category:Latin appendices; Appendix:Ancient Greek words with English derivatives; User:Dmcdevit/word list
