Exploring vocabulary - Muschla Gary R. 2012

A colonial tune
Words from other languages, I

English contains many words that come from other languages.

1. rodeo (n): a competition or show featuring skills such as horseback riding, bull riding, and lassoing (from Spanish)

The most exciting event at the rodeo was the bull riding.

2. yacht (n): a relatively small ship used for pleasure (from Dutch)

Melissa enjoyed sailing on her uncle’s yacht.

3. mustang (n): a wild horse (from Spanish)

The mustang galloped across the prairie.

4. haiku (n): a poem of 17 syllables (from Japanese)

Terence wrote a haiku for his school’s poetry magazine.

5. patio (n): an outdoor space that is near a home and is used for eating and relaxing (from Spanish)

We ate dinner on our patio last night.

6. macaroni (n): a type of noodle in the shape of hollow tubes, prepared for eating by boiling (from Italian)

Gena’s favorite food is macaroni with cheese.

7. depot (n): a bus or railroad station; a storehouse (from French)

People waited at the depot for the train to come.

8. waffle (n): a batter cake cooked between two metal plates (from Dutch)

Mom cooked a waffle for me for breakfast.

9. umbrella (n): a device made of a light frame and cover for protection against rain and sun (from Italian)

Stacy’s umbrella protected her from the rain.

10. chef (n): a cook; the chief cook in a restaurant (from French)

Matt likes to cook and hopes to be a chef someday.

Vocabulary tip

English is constantly growing as people add new words from other languages.

29.1 A colonial tune

British soldiers sang this song to make fun of American colonists. In time the colonists adopted the song as their own. What was the title of this song?

To answer the question, find the word for each definition below. Choose your answers from the words that follow each definition. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its definition number at the bottom of the page. You will need to divide the letters into words. Some letters are provided.

1. an outdoor space that is near a home and used for eating and relaxing

H. depot

A. patio

E. rodeo

2. a batter cake cooked between two metal plates

E. waffle

N. haiku

C. yacht

3. a cook; the chief cook of a restaurant

A. macaroni

E. mustang

N. chef

4. a wild horse

D. mustang

E. patio

R. waffle

5. a competition or show featuring skills such as horseback riding, bull riding, and lassoing

D. haiku

L. rodeo

N. mustang

6. a type of noodle in the shape of hollow tubes, prepared for eating by boiling

G. waffle

N. chef

E. macaroni

7. a Japanese poem of 17 syllables

B. depot

M. yacht

D. haiku

8. a device made of a light frame and cover for protection against rain and sun

N. patio

K. umbrella

R. waffle

9. a relatively small ship used for pleasure

Y. yacht

S. mustang

W. depot

10. a bus or railroad station; a storehouse

U. patio

A. yacht

O. depot