The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (10 page)

baccalaureate (bakaloreeat) FRENCH
[baccalaureat diploma, from Latin baccalaureus bachelor, itself ultimately
from bacca lauri laurel berry] noun a
bachelor's degree, as awarded by universities and colleges. -abbreviated
form Bac.

baccarat (bakara) FRENCH [from baccara (of unknown meaning)] noun
a card game in which players gamble
against the dealer: "Here, amid the blaze
of crowded baccarat tables, he caught
sight of Lord Hubert Ducey, seated with
his habitual worn smile behind a rapidly
dwindling heap of gold" (Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905).

bacchanalia (bakanleea) LATIN
[things connected with Bacchus, the
Greek and Roman god of wine] noun
(plural bacchanalia or bacchanalias)
a wild, festive gathering of music,
dance, and drinking originally celebrated in honor of Bacchus but now in
more general usage: "The morning after
the bacchanalia in the saloon of the palace,
the divan was covered with young patricians" (Lew Wallace, Ben Hur, 1880).

bacillus (basilas) LATIN [small staff,
baculus staff] noun (plural bacilli,
basil-1, basilee) a rod-shaped bacterium of a class including numerous
saprophytes and parasites, many of
which cause diseases: "Scientists have
worked around the clock trying to isolate
the bacillus."

bacl(sbeesb See BAKSHEESH.

bacterium (bakteereeam) LATIN [from
Greek bakteria staff] noun (plural
bacteria, bakteereea) an example of
a very large, widely-distributed group
of parasitic or saprophytic single-celled
microorganisms important for their
roles in biochemical and pathenogenic
processes: "Antibiotics are used to treat
infections caused by bacteria."

badinage (badanahzh) FRENCH [joking, from badiner to joke, itself from
badar to gape] noun humorous banter, playful repartee: "They enjoyed
listening to the badinage of the old men,
who had obviously known one another for
years and years."

bagatelle (bag5tel) FRENCH [trifle,
from Italian bagatella] noun one
of several games in which players
attempt to roll balls into scoring areas
and by extension any trifling or frivolous matter: "`A billion dollars? A mere
bagatelle!' he scoffed."Also used to refer
to a short, lighthearted musical composition or poem.

bagel (bgal) YIDDISH [from beygel,
itself possibly from German bougel
ring] noun a hard ring-shaped roll:
"We had bagels and lox for breakfast."

bagnio (banyo) ITALIAN [from bagno
bath, itself from Latin balneum bath]
noun a public bath or Asian prison
(recalling the Turks' use of the Roman
baths at Constantinople as a prison).
Also an alternative term for a brothel
or bordello: "How the prodigal drinks
and sports at the bagnio" (W M. Thackeray, English Humourists, 1858).

baguette (baget) FRENCH [rod, from
Italian bacchetto, itself from Latin baculum staff] noun a long, thin roll or
loaf of white bread and, by extension,
a gem cut into a rectangular shape.

bain-marie (ban(g) maree) FRENCH
[bath of Maria, from Latin balneum
Mariae, from Greek kaminos Marias
furnace of Maria (legendary Jewish
alchemist identified as Miriam, sister of Moses)] noun (plural bainsmarie) a type of double saucepan
in which food can be heated slowly
over hot water, or a dish prepared
in such a vessel: "While Sylvie and the
man were upstairs, Mlle. Michonneau, who
came down first, poured the contents of the
phial into the silver cup belonging to Vautrinit was standing with the others in
the bain-marie that kept the cream hot for
the morning coffee" (Honore de Balzac,
Le Pere Goriot, 1834).

baklava (bahklavah) TURKISH noun
a dessert comprising thin pastry, nuts,
and honey or syrup.

baksheesh (baksheesh, baksheesh),
backsheesh PERSIAN [bakhshish present, bakhshidan to give] noun a bribe,
gratuity, or tip paid to secure or
reward another's service (originally in
the Middle East alone, but now used
more widely): "Add a hundred for the cost
of the last trip Gad, won't Torp stare to
see me! -a hundred and thirty-two leaves
seventy-eight for baksheesh -I shall need
it and to play with" (Rudyard Kipling,
The Light that Failed, 1890).

balaclava (balaklahva) RUSSIAN [after
Balaclava, Crimea, site of a battle
in the Crimean War, 1881] noun a
knit covering for the head and neck
after the type originally worn by
soldiers fighting in the Crimea: "Most
of the climbers wore sweaters and thick
balaclavas to protect themselves from the
cold."

balalaika (balalika) RUSSIAN [stringed
instrument] noun a triangular, threestringed musical instrument of Russian origin: "All of a sudden there was
a great uproar of shouting, singing and
the balalaika, and from the tavern a
number of big and very drunken peasants
came out, wearing red and blue shirts and
coats thrown over their shoulders" (Fyodor
Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment,
1866).

ballerina (balareena) ITALIAN [female
ballet dancer, ballare to dance] noun
a female ballet dancer.

ballista (balista) LATIN [from Greek
ballein to throw] noun (plural ballistae, balistee) in historical warfare,
a large military engine resembling a
huge crossbow formerly used to hurl
stones, bolts, or other missiles at an
enemy: "If his mother were there in living
burial, what could he do for her? By the
strong hand, nothing. An army might beat
the stony face with ballista and ram, and
be laughed at." (Lew Wallace, Ben Hur,
1880).

balti (boltee) URDU [bucket] noun
a style of Indian cookery of northern Pakistani origins in which highly
spiced food is prepared in metal pans.

bambino (bambeeno) ITALIAN [bambo
child, simple] noun (plural bambinos
or bambini, bambeenee) a child,
a baby (occasionally referring specificall), to the infant Christ).

bandanna (bandana) HINDI [badhnu
tie-dyeing] noun a large, colorful
handkerchief usually worn around the
head or neck: "He took Judge Thornton
aside and whispered the important question to him, in his distress of mind,
mistaking pockets and taking out his bandanna instead of his white handkerchief
to wipe his forehead" (Oliver Wendell
Holmes, Elsie Venner, 1861).

bandolier (bandaleer), bandoleer
FRENCH [from Old Spanish bando band,
sash] noun a leather belt worn over
the shoulder and across the breast,
usually in order to carry cartridges for
a gun: "One, having taken off his shako,
carefully loosened the gathers of its lining
and drew them tight again; another, rubbing
some dry clay between his palms, polished
his bayonet; another fingered the strap and
pulled the buckle of his bandolier, while
another smoothed and refolded his leg bands
and put his boots on again" (Leo Tolstoy,
War and Peace, 1863-69).

banquette (banket) FRENCH [from
Italian banchetta, itself from banca bench]
noun a long upholstered bench; can
also refer to a raised step running along
the inside of a parapet or trench or to
a sidewalk: "The four sides of the stockade
had been manned by that time. Lingard,
ascending the banquette, looked out and
saw the lagoon shrouded in white, without
as much as a shadow on it, and so still that
not even the sound of water lapping the shore
reached his ears" (Joseph Conrad, The
Rescue, 1920).

banshee (banshee), banshie IRISH
[bean sidhe fairy woman] noun in Irish
and Scottish folklore, a supernatural
spirit that utters unearthly wails as a
warning of approaching death in the
family: "They were a species of tutelary
sprite, or Banshee; although winged and
feathered dfferently from most other guardian angels" (Nathaniel Hawthorne, The
House of the Seven Gables, 1851).

banzai (banzz) JAPANESE [from Chinese, ten thousand years] interjection
may you live ten thousand years (used
as a battle cry or as a cheer): "All
the people cheered and shouted Banzai'
to the Emperor." 'adjective reckless,
suicidal.

barcarole (bahkarol, bahkarol), barcarolle FRENCH [from Italian barcaruolca boatman's song, from barca
barge] noun the traditional song of
Venetian gondoliers with a rhythm
suggestive of rowing. By extension any
piece of music with a similar beat.

bar mitzvah (bah mitzva) HEBREW
[bar miswah son of the law] noun
phrase a religious ceremony at
which a Jewish boy is recognized as
having come of age with responsibility for his own religious and ethical
duties, celebrated on his 13th birthday: "A boy's bar mitzvah is one of the
most important days in his life." See also
BAT MITZVAH.

baroque (tarok, barok) FRENCH [bartoque irregularly shaped, from Portuguese barroco irregularly shaped
pearl] noun an ornamental style in
the arts that flourished in Europe in
the 17th and 18th centuries. -adjective of or relating to such a style or,
more generally, grotesque, complex,
or exaggerated: "Other pictures were two
watercolors in baroque frames; one being
the Amalfi monk on a pergola wall, while
the second was a yard-wide display of iris blossoms" (BoothTarkington, Alice Adams,
1921).

barouche (bhroosh) GERMAN [Barutsche, from Italian baroccio, ultimately
from Latin birotus two-wheeled] noun
a four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage
with two double seats facing each
other under a folding hood for the
passengers and a single seat in front
for the driver: "He gave me his arm,
and the two officers courteously bowed me
out, and we found at the door a phaeton
or barouche with a postilion and post
horses" (Charles Dickens, Bleak House,
1852-53).

barrage (barazh) FRENCH [barren to
bar] noun a barrier placed in a watercourse to alter the flow, or alternatively a shower or discharge of words,
explosives, protests, etc.: "Strike me
dead / If the Huns ain't strafing the road
ahead / So the convoy can't get through! /
A barrage of shrap, and us alone; I four
rush-cases you hear 'em moan?" (Robert Service, Ballads of a Bohemian,
1920). 'verb to shower with words,
explosives, protests, etc.

barre (bahr) FRENCH [from Latin
Barra] noun a horizontal bar used by
dancers for their exercises.

barre (bahr) FRENCH [barred, past
participle of barren] noun a method
of playing a chord on a guitar or other
stringed instrument with the forefinger laid across all the strings.

barrette (baret) FRENCH [little bar]
noun an ornamental clip or pin for
holding the hair in place.

barrio (bareeo) SPANISH [from Arabic barri of the open country] noun a
district within a larger urban conglomeration in a Spanish-speaking country
(or a Spanish-speaking district within
a U.S. town or city): "A crime wave has
swept through the barrios of the city in
recent months."

has bleu (babla) FRENCH [blue stocking] noun phrase (plural bas bleus)
a bluestocking, a woman with strong
intellectual or academic interests.

basilica (basilaka, bazilaka) LATIN
[royal palace, from Greek basilike
royal, from basileus king] noun a
Christian church, typically one with
a nave higher than its aisles: "While,
contrasting strangely with the wondrous
radiance around them, the huge bronze
pine-tree in the middle of the Place, and
the wide front of the Basilica, rose up in
gloomy shadow, indefinite and exaggerated,
lowering like evil spirits over the joyous
beauty of the rest of the scene..." (Wilkie
Collins, Antonina, 1850).

basmati (bazmahtee, bazmatee) HINDI
[fragrant] noun a variety of aromatic
long-grain rice: "Basmati is best served
with curry."

basque (bask) FRENCH [after the
Basque region of the western Pyrenees, from Latin Vasco] noun a tight-fitting bodice for women: "The actress
wore a bright red basque and fishnet
stockings."

bas-relief (bah raleef, bah raleef, has
raleef), bas relief FRENCH [low relief,
bas low and relief raised work, from
Italian basso-rilievo low relief] noun
(plural bas reliefs) a form of sculpture
in which the carved image projects
slightly above the surface of the surrounding wood or stone, or an example of such work: "The whole story of the
pharoah's reign is carved in bas-relief on a
stone column."

bassinet (basanet), bassinette FRENCH
[bassin basin] noun a wickerwork
bed or carrying basket for a baby with
a curved hood, or a baby carriage
with a similar shape: "The baby was
carried into the room in an old fashioned
bassinet."

basso profundo (baso profundo)
ITALIAN [deep bass] noun phrase (plural
bassos profundos or bassi produndi,
basee profundee) (in music) a rich
heavy bass voice, or a singer with
such a voice.

bastille (basteel) FRENCH [after the
Bastille fortress prison in Paris,
from Old Provencal bastida fortified town, itself from bastir to build]
noun a strong prison or jail, especially one with a stern appearance or
reputation.

bathos (brathos) GREEK [depth] noun
the lowest point, the nadir of something, an anticlimax, humiliation; also
similar to pathos, indicating sentimentalism or a descent into triteness: "I was
quite willing to answer your uncle any questions he could ask about money. Indeed, I had
no secret from him on any subject. But when
he subjected me to cross-examination, forcing
me into a bathos of poverty, as he thought,
I broke down" (Anthony Trollope, Ayala's
Angel, 1881).

batik (bateek) JAVANESE [painted] noun
hand-printed dyed fabric of a type first
produced in Java, Indonesia. 'adjective
of or relating to fabric of this type.

bat mitzvah (baht mitzva), HEBREW
[bat miswah daughter of the law] noun
phrase a religious ceremony at which
a Jewish girl is recognized as having
come of age with responsibility for
her own religious and ethical duties,
for a girl aged 12 or 13: "A girl's bat
mitzvah is one of the most important days
in her life." See also BAR MITZVAH.

Bauhaus (bowhows) GERMAN [architecture house, after the school for
architecture founded by Walter
Gropius (1883-1969) in 1919] adjective of or relating to the principles
of the German Bauhaus school of
architecture, aiming for a synthesis of
art and technology.