Real Words Without Definition
This one is a judgement call.
A foreign word used in English without ever being translated.
adelphoi is Greek for brothers. aburabozu is a Japanese fish. achtelthaler is a German coin worth an eighth of a thaler. afghanets is a Russian word for a dusty Central Asian wind.
They turn up in English books, so somebody wrote them down. They never became English words, so no dictionary lists them.
2,016 words · sorted A to Z · each with a line on why it is here
Matches the word itself, not the note beside it. Case does not matter.
| Word, sorted Z to A | Language and meaning |
|---|---|
| bidry | Anglo-Indian, Bidri inlaid metalware |
| bielbrief | Dutch/German, shipbuilder's certificate of a ship |
| bierstuben | German, Bierstuben, beer-rooms |
| bilalo | Philippine, a small sailing craft |
| bilati | Bengali bilati, foreign, European |
| billian | Malay, Bornean ironwood tree |
| bimbil | Aboriginal Australian, the poplar box tree |
| bingee | Aboriginal Australian, the belly |
| binnogue | Irish, a woman's head-kerchief |
| binukau | Philippine, a Garcinia tree |
| birodo | Japanese birodo, velvet |
| bisellium | Latin, Roman seat of honor for two |
| bisognio | Italian bisogno, a needy fellow, raw recruit |
| bissextus | Latin, the intercalary leap day |
| bistournage | French, castration by twisting the cord |
| blatchang | Malay blachan, shrimp paste |
| blijver | Dutch, one who stays or remains |
| bloubiskop | Afrikaans, "blue bishop", a Cape sea fish |
| bobache | Anglo-Indian, a cook (Hindi bawarchi) |
| boccarella | Italian, opening in a glass furnace |
| boccaro | Italian buccaro, red pottery clay |
| boddagh | Irish bodach, a churl or old man |
| bohawn | Irish bothán, a cabin or hut |
| bohorok | Sumatran, a hot dry descending wind |
| boiette | French boëtte, bait for cod fishing |
| boiguacu | Tupi, the boa constrictor |
| boithrin | Irish bóithrín, a little road, boreen |
| bomos | Greek, an altar |
| bonagh | Irish, a billeted kern or mercenary |
| bonamano | Italian buonamano, a gratuity |
| boniata | Spanish boniato, the white sweet potato |
| bonsela | Zulu bansela, a gift or gratuity |
| boolya | Australian Aboriginal, magic, sorcery |
| borasca | Italian burrasca, a squall |
| borasco | Italian/Spanish, a sudden squall |
| borasque | French bourrasque, a squall |
| bority | Hebrew borith, an alkali or soap plant |
| borrachio | Spanish, a wine-skin; a drunkard |
| boshvark | Afrikaans bosvark, the bushpig |
| botchka | Russian bochka, a cask; bulbous roof |
| bottu | Dravidian, the marriage badge, tali |
| boubas | Portuguese bubas, yaws |
| bouchal | Irish buachaill, a boy |
| bouffante | French, a puffed-out flounce or coiffure |
| bougeron | French, a workman's smock |
| bourran | Turkic buran, a violent snowstorm |
| bousoukia | Greek, bouzoukis; bouzouki taverns |
| bouto | Portuguese boto, the Amazon river dolphin |
| bovenland | Dutch, the upper country, interior |
| boyuna | Tupi/Portuguese, a large Brazilian water snake |
| braata | Jamaican (Sp. barata), a small extra given free |
| bracozzo | Italian, an Adriatic coasting vessel |
| brahmanda | Sanskrit brahmanda, the cosmic egg, the universe |
| bratina | Russian, a communal drinking-bowl |
| brauna | Portuguese/Tupi, a Brazilian hardwood tree |
| brazera | Spanish brasero, a pan of coals, brazier |
| bringela | Portuguese berinjela, the eggplant |
| brodyaga | Russian, a vagabond or tramp |
| brodyagi | Russian plural, vagabonds |
| broeboe | Malay word in Dutch spelling (oe = u) |
| bromvoel | S. African Dutch, the ground hornbill |
| bronteon | Greek, thunder-machine of the ancient theatre |
| bronteum | Latin, thunder-machine of the ancient theatre |
| bruscha | Med. Latin, butcher's broom |
| bruscus | Med. Latin, butcher's broom (Ruscus) |
| buccellarius | Late Latin, an armed household retainer |
| bugala | Arabic, a type of dhow |
| bulnbuln | Australian Aboriginal, the lyrebird |
| bumbass | German Bumbass, a bladder-fiddle |
| bundoc | Tagalog bundok, mountain |
| burgaudine | French, mother-of-pearl of the burgau |
| burrah | Hindi burra, great, big |
| burratine | Italian burattino, a puppet character |
| buzukia | Greek, plural of bouzouki |
| byon | Burmese, ruby-bearing gravel |
| byrri | Latin, plural of byrrus, hooded cloaks |
| byrrus | Late Latin, a hooded cloak |
| cabaan | Arabic, a coarse woolen cloak |
| caback | Russian kabak, a tavern |
| cabalassou | Tupi via French, the giant armadillo |
| cabellerote | Cuban Spanish, a snapper fish |
| cabocle | Portuguese, a Brazilian of mixed descent |
| cabresta | Spanish, a halter or lariat rope |
| cabuja | Spanish cabuya, agave fiber |
| cabulla | Spanish, agave-fiber cord (cabuya) |
| cacafugo | Spanish cacafuego, a braggart |
| cachucho | Spanish, a sea-bream-like food fish |
| cachunde | Portuguese, an aromatic pastille |
| cafardise | French, hypocrisy or sanctimony |
| cagit | Philippine, a green parrot |
| cahuy | Philippine (Tagalog kahoy), wood or tree |
| cajang | Malay kajang, palm-leaf matting |
| calaminaris | Latin, of calamine (lapis calaminaris) |
| calapite | Malay-derived, the stone of a coconut |
| calden | Spanish calden, an Argentine mesquite tree |
| calesin | Spanish calesin, a light two-wheeled carriage |
| callisteia | Greek, a beauty-contest festival |
| calombigas | Philippine, shell bracelets |
| calpul | Nahuatl calpulli, a clan or ward |
| calsouns | Spanish calzones, drawers or underbreeches |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
