“Schadenfreude.” “Aficionado.” “Hygge.” English is full of loanwords, or words from other languages. In fact, one estimate suggests that 80% of English comes from other languages. English speakers use loanwords for many reasons, such as needing a highly specific adjective that just doesn’t exist in English. Speakers may also be looking to adopt the allure of a given language by borrowing a specific word. We can find loanwords from a variety of languages, but some of the most recognizable and commonly used are taken from Italian.
Extravaganza
A party packed with people, endless glasses of champagne, a live band, and six dessert stations could be called an “extravaganza.” When first used in Italian, the word referred to behavior outside of the norm. It was only at the turn of the 19th century that it was used as a positive descriptor of a performance. In English, it is used to describe an event that is over-the-top (where the behavior might well fit the Italian usage).
Quarantine
This word has become very familiar over the past few years, but it has a long history. In modern English, “quarantine” refers to the act of staying away from others for a set period of time as a way to avoid spreading disease. Its definition hasn’t changed much, but when it was introduced in the late 1600s, returning sailors stayed in the harbor for 40 days to try to prevent the spread of illness from the ship. That specific length of time, quaranta in Italian, served as the basis for the English loanword “quarantine.”
Stiletto
For many fashion mavens, stilettos are the finishing touch on an outfit. Yet it was only in 1953 that the word began to refer to footwear with a high and thin heel. Before that, stiletto in Italian described a “short, thick dagger.” While that seems like the opposite of the stylish heels, the loanword likely came about because English speakers swapped “stiletto” with “stilus,” a pointy writing instrument. That word has also stuck around, spelled as “stylus.”
Fiasco
Everyone has had one of those days when nothing goes right — the alarm goes off late, coffee spills on a new shirt, and traffic seems to never move. We may describe this kind of a day as a “fiasco.” The word originally meant “bottle,” but in Italian, it was used in a theater-related idiom. Far fiasco (translated literally as “make a bottle”) meant the production was a complete disaster.
Caricature
Whether it’s a drawing, a performance, or a piece of writing, a caricature takes a character’s attributes and exaggerates them. This exaggeration often focuses on a character’s negative traits and obscures their positive ones. The word “caricature” comes from the Italian caricatura, with a literal meaning of overloading a cart.
Graffiti
Street art lovers likely recognize graffiti by bursts of bold color sprayed across brick walls, subway cars, and leather jackets. The Italian word graffiti originally referred to the sketches and drawings on the walls of Pompeii. Graffiti is plural, even in English. The singular, graffito, refers to just one drawing or sketch.
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