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 |
|---|---|
| calusar | Romanian calusar, a ritual folk dancer |
| calybite | Greek, a hermit dwelling in a hut |
| calzoneras | Spanish, Mexican open-sided trousers |
| camacey | Puerto Rican Spanish, a Miconia shrub |
| camarin | Spanish camarin, a shed or shrine niche |
| camata | Levantine, valonia acorn-cups for tanning |
| cambaye | a cotton cloth of Cambay, India |
| camoudie | Guyanese Carib, the anaconda |
| canacuas | Mexican Spanish, Tarascan dance songs |
| canafistola | Spanish, the purging cassia |
| canafistolo | Spanish, the purging cassia |
| canafistulo | Spanish, the purging cassia |
| canalatura | Italian, fluting or channeling |
| canalete | Spanish, a canoe paddle |
| canaut | Anglo-Indian kanat, a canvas tent wall |
| candys | Greek kandys, a Median sleeved robe |
| canephoroi | Greek, basket-bearing maidens |
| canephorus | Latin, a basket-bearing figure |
| canepin | French, a fine kidskin for gloves |
| canezou | French, a woman's light sleeveless bodice |
| cannetille | French, fine twisted gold wire |
| cannophori | Latin, reed-bearing priests of Cybele |
| cantut | Quechua, the cantuta flower |
| capiteaux | French, capitals of columns |
| caputium | Medieval Latin, a hood or cowl |
| caqueterie | French, chatter or gossip |
| caqueteuse | French, a low conversation chair |
| caquetoire | French, a conversation chair |
| caracoli | Carib, a gold alloy ornament |
| caratch | Turkish, poll tax on non-Muslims |
| cardophagus | Latin, thistle-eater, the ass |
| cartisane | French, parchment strip whipped for lace |
| carucarius | Medieval Latin, holder of a ploughland |
| carval | Manx, a Christmas carol |
| carvoeira | Portuguese, a Brazilian timber tree |
| cascol | Spanish, a South American resin |
| cascrome | Gaelic cas-chrom, crooked foot-plough |
| castice | Portuguese castiço, Indian-born of pure blood |
| catabibazon | Late Latin, the descending lunar node |
| catalecta | Latin, literary gleanings |
| catalineta | Spanish, a West Indian food fish |
| catallum | Medieval Latin, chattel, cattle |
| catasarka | Greek katasarka, linen altar cloth |
| cathedratica | Latin, plural of cathedraticum, bishop's dues |
| cathedraticum | Latin, tribute paid to a bishop's see |
| caurale | Guianan name of the sun-bittern |
| causse | French, a limestone plateau of Languedoc |
| cazibi | Taino, juice or bread of the cassava |
| censive | French, land held subject to quit-rent |
| centai | Lithuanian, plural of centas, cents |
| cephen | Greek kephen, a drone bee |
| cequi | Spanish cequi, an old gold coin |
| cessionaire | French cessionnaire, an assignee |
| cestoi | Greek plural of kestos, girdles |
| ceston | Greek keston, a girdle or belt |
| chacoli | Spanish/Basque, a light Basque wine |
| chacte | Mexican Spanish, a dyewood tree |
| chagal | Anglo-Indian, a leather water-bag |
| chagul | Anglo-Indian (Persian), leather water bottle |
| chakar | Persian/Hindi chakar, a servant |
| chakari | Hindi/Persian, service, employment |
| chakdar | Anglo-Indian, holder of a chak of land |
| chalchuite | Mexican Spanish (Nahuatl), a green turquoise |
| chalcus | Greek, a small bronze coin and weight |
| chalkos | Greek, copper or bronze |
| challiho | Anglo-Indian, the forty hot days of summer |
| chambul | Turki/Persian, a marauding party or foray |
| chancito | Spanish, a little pig |
| chandrakanta | Sanskrit, the moonstone |
| chaori | Hindi, a yak-tail fly whisk (chowri) |
| chaparraz | Mexican Spanish, leather riding chaps |
| chappow | Turki/Persian chapao, a raid or foray |
| charsingha | Hindi, the four-horned antelope |
| chartophylacia | Latin, archives, record repositories (pl.) |
| chartophylacium | Latin, an archive or record room |
| charuk | Turkish, a rawhide peasant shoe |
| chattack | Hindi chhatak, an Indian unit of weight |
| chausseemeile | German, a road or highway mile |
| chauth | Hindi, Maratha tribute of a fourth of revenue |
| chawk | Hindi chowk, an open market square |
| chechem | Mayan, the black poisonwood tree |
| chedreux | French, a light-coloured periwig |
| chelinga | Anglo-Indian, a Coromandel cargo boat |
| chelingo | Anglo-Indian, a Madras cargo boat |
| chempaduk | Malay, the champedak fruit tree |
| chengal | Malay, a Malayan hardwood timber tree |
| chervonei | Russian, pl. of chervonets, a gold coin |
| chervontsi | Russian, pl. of chervonets, a gold coin |
| chevret | French, a goat's-milk cheese |
| chicayote | Mex. Spanish, the figleaf gourd |
| chichipe | Mex. Spanish, a columnar cactus |
| chichituna | Mex. Spanish, a kind of prickly pear |
| chilacavote | Mex. Spanish, the figleaf gourd (chilacayote) |
| chiliarchia | Greek, a command or body of a thousand men |
| chilicothe | Mex. Spanish, the California manroot (Marah) |
| chilion | Greek chilion, a thousand |
| chimachima | Tupi via Portuguese, a S. American caracara |
| chinanta | Philippine Spanish, a weight of ten catties |
| chiotilla | Mex. Spanish, an edible cactus fruit |
| chirayta | Hindi, the bitter medicinal plant chirata |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
