The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (13 page)

brasserie (brasree, brasaree) FRENCH
[brewery, from Middle French brasser
to brew] noun a small informal restaurant serving wine, beer, and relatively simple dishes: "The city has plenty
of bars and brasseries where it is possible to spend a lively evening in excellent
company."

bratwurst (bratwerst, bratverst, bratversht) GERMAN [from brat spit and
wurst sausage] noun a German pork
sausage.

bravado (bravahdo) SPANISH [from
bravado, itself from Old Italian bravare to show off, to challenge] noun a
pretense of bravery, bluster, boasting,
swaggering: "They may add, too, that at
Trafalgar it was in effect nothing less than a
challenge to death; and death came; and that
but for his bravado the victorious Admiral
might possibly have survived the battle..
(Herman Melville, Billy Budd, 1924).

bravo (brahvo) ITALIAN [brave, courageous] interjection (plural bravos)
well done! good! noun a shout of
approval or approbation, a cheer.
feminine brava (brahva) a shout
praising a female performer.

bravura (brayoora) ITALIAN [bravery,
from bravo brave] noun a brilliant,
stylish, or spirited display of virtuosity, technical skill, daring, or agility: "The conductor launched with great
bravura into a brilliant interpretation of
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony." -adjective
showy, ostentatious, ornate.

bric-a-brac (brik-a-brak), brie-abrae FRENCH [from a brie et a brae
at random] noun a miscellaneous
collection of items (typically inexpensive ornaments or curios), bits
and pieces, odds and ends, knickknacks: "The shop was full of bric-abrac, ranging from ornamental brasses
and memorabilia to bits of military
uniform and old books."

bricolage (breekolazh, brikolazh)
FRENCH [from bricoler to putter about]
noun a construction made with whatever is conveniently at hand.

brio (breeo) ITALIAN noun verve,
vivacity, liveliness: "The band performed
with great brio."

brioche (breeosh) FRENCH [from brier
to knead] noun in French cuisine, a
light, sweet bread, roll, or bun: "The only things he could find to eat were a stale
brioche and an apple."

briquette (briket), briquet FRENCH
[from brique brick] noun a brickshaped block or slab of coal dust,
charcoal, or other material suitable as
fuel: "He piled a few charcoal briquettes
up under the barbecue."

brochette (broshet) FRENCH [from
broche spit, pointed tool] noun a
skewer, or food cooked on a skewer.

brogue (brog) IRISH [from barrog
accent] noun a regional dialect or
local accent: "`The question lies in a
nutshell; said Laurence, with that sweet
Connaught brogue which always came to
him when he desired to be eective `here
it is"' (Anthon), Trollope, Phineas Finn,
1869).

bronchus (bronkas) GREEK [from
bronchos windpipe and bronchia bronchia] noun (plural bronchi, bronld)
either of the two branches of the windpipe, which lead to the lungs.

bronco (bronko), broncho SPANISH
[rough, wild] noun a mustang, a wild
or only partly broken horse.

brouhaha (broohahhah) FRENCH
[uproar] noun uproar, hubbub, fuss,
commotion: "`Yes; he answered, modestly,
1 enjoy the brouhaha, if you choose to consider it such, of all this quarrelsome menagerie of noise-making machines, brought into order and harmony by the presiding genius,
the leader..."' (Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Over the Teacups, 1891).

bruin cafe (brown kaf) DUTCH
[brown pub] noun a traditional-style
Dutch cafe or bar with walls that are
stained brown from many years of
tobacco smoke.

brunet, brunette (broonet) FRENCH
[from brun brown] noun a person with brown hair: "That night he
dreamed again about the mysterious brunette." -adjective brown, dark.

bruschetta (broosket5) ITALIAN [from
Roman dialect bruscare to roast over
coals] noun sliced Italian bread
rubbed with garlic and olive oil and
grilled, usually topped with tomatoes
and basil: "Many Italian restaurants serve
bruschetta as an appetizer."

brusque (brask, broosk) FRENCH
[from Italian brusco sour, tart, itself from
Latin bruscus butcher's broom (a spiny
plant)] adjective abrupt, blunt, short,
offhand: Marilla, brusque and tearless,
pecked Anne's-cheek and said she supposed
they'd hear from her when she got settled."
(Luc), Maud Montgomery, Anne of the
Island, 1915).

brut (broot) FRENCH [rough, raw]
adjective (of wine, champagne, etc.)
very dry: "Under an assumed name he
drank, I've just been informed by my butler,
an entire pint bottle of my Perrier-Jouet, Brut, '89; wine I was specially reserving for
myself" (Oscar Wilde, The Importance of
Being Earnest, 1895).

brutum fulmen (brootam falman)
LATIN [random thunderbolt] noun
(plural bruta fulmina, broota falmeena) an empty threat, a mere
noise. "The sermons of priests these days
are often seen simply as brutafulmina."

bubo (bhuubo) LATIN [from Greek
bubon groin, swelling in the groin]
noun an inflamed swelling of the
lymph nodes in the groin or armpit,
sometimes associated with bubonic
plague.

buckaroo (bakaroo, )akaroo), buckeroo SPANISH [from vaquero cowboy,
itself from Latin vaca cow] noun a
cowboy, a cowherd.

budo (buudo) JAPANESE [way of the
warrior] noun a Japanese word for
the martial arts, collectively.

buenas noches (bwenas notchas)
SPANISH [good night] noun phrase
good night: "Maria wished us all buenas
noches and went off to bed."

buffet (baff) FRENCH [sideboard,
from Old French bufet] noun an
informal meal laid out on a sideboard
or table with the intention that diners
help themselves to food; can also refer
to the sideboard or sidetable itself or
to a place where snacks and light meals

are served: "Bartley took his arm and they
went together into the station buffet" (Willa
Cather, Alexander's Bridge, 1912).

bulgur (balgar), bulghur TURKISH
[from Persian bulgur bruised grain]
noun dried cracked wheat.

bulimia (baleemeea) GREEK [boulimia
great hunger] noun a pathological
craving for food, or an eating disorder
in which bouts of compulsive overeating are followed by self-induced
vomiting, resulting in weight loss or
depression.

Bundesrat (boondasrat) GERMAN [from
Bund federation and Rat council]
noun the upper house of the German and Austrian parliaments.

Bundestag (boondastahg) GERMAN
[from Bund federation and tagen to
meet] noun the lower house of the
German parliament.

bungalow (bangalo) HINDI [from
bangla in the Bengal style] noun a
single-story house: "The bungalow was
sold eventually to an elderly couple with
a dog."

buon appetito (bon apateeto) ITALIAN [good appetite] interjection enjoy
your meal. See also BON APPETIT.

bureau (b)oorO) FRENCH [desk,
ultimately from Latin burra shaggy
cloth] noun (plural bureaus, b)ooroz, or bureaux b )=o) a writing desk
with drawers, or a low chest of drawers. Can also refer to an official administrative unit, office, or government
department, or to a branch of a news
service or other commercial agency:
"Tourist information can be found at the
visitors' bureau."

bureaucracy (byoorokr3see) FRENCH
[from bureaucratic, from bureau, desk,
office] noun officialdom, especially
with regard to unwieldy government
organizations that appear to be excessively bound by their own rules and
regulations: "The politicians plan to reduce
bureaucracy in our schools."

bureau de change (byooro dashonzh)
FRENCH [office of change] noun (plural bureaux de change) foreign
exchange office, currency exchange
office: "They got a good rate of exchange
at the local bureau de change."

burger (herg3) GERMAN [abbreviation
of hamburger, after Hamburger of
Hamburg, Germany] noun a flat,
round patty of fried or grilled ground
beef, typically served in a soft bun:
"She had eaten only a burger and fries
since the weekend."

burl(a (berka), burkha, burqa URDU
[from Arabic] noun a long loose outer
garment that covers the whole body
and face, apart from a net-covered area
around the eyes, worn by some Muslim
women in public.

burlesque (berlesk) FRENCH [comic,
droll, from Italian burlesco, from burla
joke] noun a caricature, parody,
travesty, mockery, exaggeration, distortion (originally a theatrical genre
or piece of writing aiming to ridicule through humor): `Most of the
magazine consisted of political burlesques
and shits.."-adjective mocking, parodying, jocular. verb to mock, parody,
caricature.

burqa See BURKA.

burrito (bareeto) MEXICAN SPANISH
[young donkey, from Spanish burro
donkey] noun (in Mexican cuisine) a
tortilla folded around a filling of meat,
cheese, or beans, and baked.

burro ()iro, booro) SPANISH [from
borrico, itself from Latin burricus small
horse] noun a donkey, especially one
used as a pack animal: "The sailors, the
Indian, and the stolen burro were never
seen again" (Joseph Conrad, Nostromo,
1904).

bursa (bersa) LATIN [bag or pouch]
noun (plural bursas or bursae, bersee)
(in anatomy) a fluid-filled pouch or
sac of fibrous tissue in a joint. The fluid
reduces friction in parts that move
against each other.

bushido (buushado) JAPANESE [from
bushi warrior and do way] noun the
traditional code of honor of the Japanese samurai.

bustier (bastecy, boosteeay) FRENCH
[from butte bust, ultimately from Latin
bustum tomb] noun a tight-fitting
strapless bodice or top for women.

butte (byoot) FRENCH [knoll] noun
an isolated hill or mountain with steep
sides and a flat, narrow top: "Above him

he saw the black fringe of pinon and pine,
and above that the bold peak, bare, yellow,
like a desert butte" (Zane Grey, Lone Star
Ranger, 1915).

bwana (bwahna) KIsWAHILI [from
Arabic abuna our father] noun master, boss, sir.

c., ca. See CIRCA.

cabal (kabal) FRENCH [from cabale
intrigue, ultimately from Hebrew qabbalah received lore, revived in England
in 1672 in reference to the political grouping comprising the ministers Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham,
Ashley, and Lauderdale, whose initials
formed the word cabal] noun a group
of persons who engage together in
public intrigue: "And now,' he continued,
turning to Lady Mary and speaking in
English, let me be asking of our gallants
yonder what make them to be in cabal with
highwaymen"' (Booth Tarkington, Monsieur Beaucaire, 1900).

caballa (kabbhla, kabala), cabbala,
cabbalah, kabala, kabbala HEBREW
[from qabbalah received lore] noun a
body of secret or occult knowledge
(originall), referring specifically to
medieval rabbinical teachings): "The
old man had been schooled in the secrets of
the caballa as a young man."

caballero (kabalairo, kabako) SPANISH [horseman, from Latin caballarius hostler] noun a skilled horseman,
cavalier, or gentleman in a Spanish-speaking country: "The General,
bewildered and dismayed by the resounding streets, welcomed his deliverer as a
caballero with a most disinterested heart"
(0. Henr),, Strictly Business, 1910).

cabana (kabana, kaban),a) SPANISH
[from cabana hut] noun a simple beach
house, often with an open side facing
the seashore or a swimming pool, or any
simple cabin offering basic shelter.

cabaret (kabar, kabara)') FRENCH
[restaurant, nightclub, ultimately from
Old Picard camberet little room] noun
a nightclub or restaurant where customers seated at tables can enjoy music,
dancing, and other entertainment; can
also refer to the floor show presented
at such a venue: "That blond-haired chap
across the way / With sunny smile and voice
so mellow, / He sings in some cheap cabaret, /Yet what a gay and charming fellow!"
(Robert Service, Ballads of a Bohemian,
1920).

cabbala See CABALLA.

cabriole (kabreeol) FRENCH [caper]
noun (in ballet) a leap in which one
leg is extended and the other drawn
up next to it; can also refer to the
curved, tapering leg of a piece of
furniture.

cabriolet (kabreeolj) FRENCH [diminutive of cabriole caper] noun a one-horse
carriage with two wheels and a folding hood and, by extension, a car (or
convertible) with a folding top: "It was
within a week of the close of the month of
July, that a hackney cabriolet, number unrecorded, was seen to proceed at a rapid pace
up Goswell Street..." (Charles Dickens,
Pickwick Papers, 1837).

cacciatore (kachhtoree) ITALIAN
[hunter] adjective (in Italian cuisine)
cooked with tomatoes and herbs (and
sometimes also with wine): "The latest
addition to their range of frozen foods is a
chicken cacciatore."

cache (kash) FRENCH [hiding-place,
from cacher to hide] noun a secret
store or hiding-place, or the things
hidden in such a place: "The cache had
been found and red; the seven hundred thousand pounds were gone!" (Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island,
1883). 'verb to hide items in a secret
place.