The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (15 page)

Canis Minor (kaynis minar) LATIN
[small dog] noun phrase (in astronomy) the Little Dog, a small constellation in the northern hemisphere,
which lies partly in the Milky
Way.

cannellini (kanaleenee) ITALIAN [short
tubes] noun a variety of bean, similar
in size to the kidney bean but creamywhite in color, which is popular especially in Italian cuisine: "I bought some
cannellini beans to make soup."

cannelloni (kanalonee) ITALIAN [from
cannello cane stalk] plural noun (in
Italian cuisine) a variety of tubeshaped or rolled pasta with a meat,
fish, cheese, or other filling, served
in sauce.

cantabile (kantahbilay, kantahbilee)
ITALIAN [from Latin cantabilis that
may be sung] adverb (in music) in a
flowing manner. adjective (in music)
smooth, flowing. noun a passage of
music in a smooth, flowing style.

cantaloupe (kantalop) FRENCH [after
Cantalupo, the former papal villa near
Rome where the first European cantaloupe melons were grown] noun a
variety of melon with orange flesh.

cantata (kantahta) LATIN [feminine
of cantatus, past participle of cantare to
sing] noun (in music) a composition
for one or more voices, usually combining solos, choruses, and recitatives,
with instrumental accompaniment: "He
conducted me into a chamber, where I found
a great quantity of music: he gave me some
to copy, particularly the cantata he had
heard me singing, and which he was shortly
to sing himself" (Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
Confessions, 1782-89).

cantatrice (kantatrees) FRENCH/ITALIAN [female singer, from Latin cantatrix, feminine of cantator singer]
noun (plural cantatrices, kantatreeseez, or cantatrici, kantattreechee)
a female opera singer, or other professional singer.

cantina (kanteena) SPANISH [canteen,
from Italian cantina wine cellar] noun
a barroom or saloon; can also refer in
Italy to a wine shop.

canto (kanto) ITALIAN [song, from
Latin cantus song] noun a division of
a long poem: "This last work comprised
an epic poem of several dozen cantos."

canton (kantan) FRENCH [from Italian canto corner, from Latin canthus
corner] noun a small district or an
administrative division of a country
(specifically of France or Switzerland):
"Voters in several cantons have recently
shown a new enthusiasm for candidates
representing the far right."

cantor (kantor) LATIN [singer, from
canere to sing] noun a choir leader;
in Jewish religious services, an official
who chants or sings and also leads the
prayers in a synagogue.

canyon (kan)3n) SPANISH [from canon
tube, ultimately from Latin canna
reed] noun a narrow, steep-sided
valley: "They crossed the gap between the
multi-story buildings, which gave great
canyon-like elevations."

capo (kapo) ITALIAN [chief, from
Latin caput head] noun the head of
a branch of the Mafia, or of a similar
criminal organization: "The capos meet
regularly to decide what to do about rivals
on the wate front."

capoeira (kapooair3) PORTUGUESE
[possibly of African origin] noun a
combination of martial art and dance,
originally developed by African slaves
in Brazil in the 19th century. A practitioner of capoeira is a capoeiristo
(male) or capeoirista (female).

caponata (kapanahta) ITALIAN [from
Sicilian dialect capunata] noun (in
Sicilian cooker),) a relish made from
chopped eggplant and other vegetables, olive oil, and seasoning, usually
served as an antipasto.

cappuccino (kapacheeno) ITALIAN
[Capuchin, referring to the color of
the habit worn by Capuchin monks]
noun an espresso coffee topped with
frothy milk or cream.

capriccio (kapreecheeo) ITALIAN
[caprice, ultimately from capro goat]
noun (in music) a piece of instrumental music written in a lively, flowing
style; can also refer to any whim, trick,
or prank: "Will this capriccio hold in thee?
art sure?" (William Shakespeare, All's
Well That Ends Well, c. 1602).

caprice (kaprees) FRENCH [from
Italian capriccio shudder, head with the hair standing on end, from capo
head and riccio hedgehog] noun a
whim, fancy, an unpredictable change
of mind, impulsiveness: "Adam dared
not plead again,for Dinah's was not the
voice of caprice or insincerity" (George
Eliot, Adam Bede, 1859).

Capricorn (l1r5korn) LATIN [goat]
noun (in astronom)-) the Goat, a
constellation in the southern hemisphere; (in astrolog),) the fourth sign
of the zodiac, occurring between Sagittarius and Aquarius.

carabiner (karabeendr) GERMAN
[abbreviation of Karabinerhaken carabiner's hook] noun a spring-hinged
oblong metal ring used by climbers
to connect ropes: "The leading climber
ran the rope through a carabiner and
waited for the next man to join him on
the ledge."

carabiniere (karabineeair) ITALIAN
[soldier armed with a carbine, from
French carabine carbine] noun (plural carabinieri, karabineeairee) a
member of the Italian national police
force.

carafe (karaf, karahf) FRENCH [from
Italian caraffa, itself from Arabic
gharrafah drinking vessel] noun a
flask, usually made of glass, from
which water, wine, or other beverages may be served: `His eye fell upon
a carafe of water on a chair at his bedside;
he seized upon it with a shaking hand and drank half its contents before he set
it down" (Booth Tarkington, His Own
People, 1907).

caravanserai (karavansari), caravansary PERSIAN [from karwan caravan
and sarai inn, palace] noun a type
of hostelry in the Middle East constructed round a central court where
caravans of travelers can rest at night:
"The necromancer acknowledged his kindness in many words and, thanking him for
his good offices, returned to his cell in the
caravanserai" (Richard Burton, "Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp," Arabian
Nights, 1885-88).

carbonara (kahrbonahra) ITALIAN [in
the manner of a charcoal maker] noun
(in Italian cuisine) a dish of hot
pasta served in a sauce with such
ingredients as cheese, bacon, or ham.

carcinoma (kahrsdnoma) GREEK [karkinoma cancer, itself from karkinos crab]
noun (plural carcinomas or carcinomata, kahrsanomata) a cancerous
tumor of epithelial origin, specifically
one that is malignant in nature.

caries (kaireez) LATIN [decay] plural
noun tooth or hone decay: "Treatments for dental caries have made huge
technological strides in the last decade."

carillon (karilan, kareeahn, karilyan)
FRENCH [bells, from Old French quarregnon peal of four bells, from Latin
quaternio set of four] noun a musical

instrument comprising a set of chromatically tuned bells that are struck
by hammers connected to a keyboard,
or a piece of music written for such
an instrument.

caritas (karitas) LATIN [love, care] noun
charity, Christian love.

carousel (karasel, karazel), carrousel FRENCH [a knight's tournament,
from carrousel, from Italian carosello]
noun a merry-go-round; can also
refer to a circular conveyor belt, as at
an airport: "The children clamored for a
ride on the carousel."

carpaccio (kahr.ahcho) ITALIAN [after
Vittorio Carpaccio (c. 1455-1522), a
Venetian painter, noted for his red pigments reminiscent of raw meat] noun
(in Italian cuisine) an hors d'oeuvre
consisting of thinly sliced raw beef or
fish served with a sauce.

carpe diem (kahrpay dceem) LATIN
[seize the day, quoting the Roman
poet Horace (65-8 B.C.)] noun phrase
seize the opportunity when it presents itself, no time like the present,
do not waste time: "`Carpe diem,' he
said laughing. Do you know what `carpe
diem' means? ... This is what it means. As
an hour for joy has come, do not let any
trouble interfere with it"' (Anthony Trollope, Ayala's Angel, 1881).

carte blanche (kahrt blonch, kahrt
blonch) FRENCH [white card] noun phrase (plural cartes blanches) free
license to do what one wishes, full
discretionary power, freedom of
action; can also refer to a document
left blank for another party to fill
in as he or she wishes: "I only ask
you to give me carte blanche. I'm not
going to offer you my protection ...
Though, indeed, why shouldn't I protect you?" (Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina,
1873-77).

carte des vins (kahrt day Y")
FRENCH [list of wines] noun phrase a
wine list.

carte de visite (kahrt da vizeet), cartede-visite FRENCH [visiting card] noun
phrase (plural cartes de visite) a visiting card, a calling card: "The stranger
declined to leave behind his carte de visite,
indicating instead that he would call
again later."

carte d'identite (kahrt didontata),)
FRENCH [identity card] noun phrase
(plural cartes d'identite) an identity card, ID card: "The soldier demanded
to see their cartes d'identite."

carte du jour (kahrt doo zhoor)
FRENCH [card of the day] noun phrase
(plural cartes du jour) a menu: "The
waiter produced the carte du jour for their
inspection."

cartel (kahrtel) FRENCH [coalition,
from Italian cartello placard] noun a
coalition of political or commercial

groups in pursuit of their own interests; "The government is looking into
accusations that the companies are operating as a cartel." Can also refer to a
written agreement between warring
nations.

cartouche (kahrtoosh), cartouch
FRENCH [from Italian cartoccio, from
carta paper] noun in Egyptian hieroglyphics, an oblong outline enclosing
the name of a pharoah of ancient
Egypt and by extension an ornamental
frame, usually in the shape of a scroll;
"Whether this was the cartouche of the
original Kallikrates, or of some prince or
Pharaoh from whom his wife Amenartas
was descended, I am not sure..." (H.
Rider Haggard, She, 1887). Can also
refer to a gun cartridge with a paper
case.

casa (kahsa, kasa) SPANISH/ITALIAN
[cottage] noun a house, a dwelling:
",M), casa is your casa, the man said with
a grin."

Casanova (kas5nov5) ITALIAN [after
the Italian adventurer and lover Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (1725-98)]
noun a man who has a reputation as
a seducer of women: "As a young man,
the count had been considered something
of a Casanova."

casbah (kazbah), kasbah ARABIC [qasbah] noun the native quarter of a
North African town.

cascara (kaskahra) SPANISH [abbreviated from cascara sagrada sacred bark,
from cascar to crack] noun the dried
bark of a buckthorn (Rhamnus purshiana) used as a purgative.

casino (kasceno) ITALIAN [little house,
from Latin casa house] noun a room
or building used for gambling and
other amusements: "All these tricks and
turns of the show were upon him with a
spring as he descended the Casino steps
and paused on the pavement at its doors"
(Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth,
1905).

Cassandra (kasandra, k5sahndr5)
GREEK [Kassandra, the prophetess
daughter of King Priam of Troy] noun
a person who habitually predicts misfortune, a prophet or prophetess of
doom: `7 do not know why, but his wandering words struck me cold; the proverbial
funeral bell at the marriage feast was nothing to them. I suppose it was because in a
flash of intuition I knew that they would
come true and that he was an appointed
Cassandra" (H. Rider Haggard, When
the World Shook, 1919).

casserole (ksarol) FRENCH [saucepan, ultimately from Greek kyathos
ladle] noun a cooking pot with a lid,
or a dish baked or served in such a
pot: "just be so good as to let me get to
the fire, Mr Hunsden; I have something to
cook.' (An interval occupied in settling a
casserole on the fire; then, while she stirred
its contents:)..." (Charlotte Bronte, The

Professor, 1857). 'verb to cook food in
a casserole.

cassette (kaset, kaset) FRENCH
[diminutive of casse case] noun a flat
container or case loaded with photographic film, magnetic tape, or similar
material to facilitate ease of use: "There
were 40 or 50 audio cassettes on the display table."

cassis (kasees) FRENCH [blackcurrant] noun blackcurrant liqueur:
"She poured some cassis into the wine in
the vain hope that this would make it more
palatable."

cassoulet (kasaly) FRENCH [diminutive of cassolo stew pan, ultimately
from casso ladle] noun a casserole
of meat baked with white beans and
herbs.

castrato kastrahto, kastrahto) ITALIAN [castrated, past participle of castrate
to castrate] noun (plural castratos or
castrati, kastrahtec, kastrahtee) a
singer who has been castrated at an
early age in order to retain his highpitched singing voice in adulthood:
"Whereat the castrato cried out and said:
'Allah! Allah! 0 my lord, these are sandals
for the treading of thy feet, so thou mayst
wend to the wardrobe." (Richard Burton,
"Story of the Larrikin and the Cook,"
Arabian Nights, 1885-88).

casus belli (kahsas Wee, kaysas
bell) ) LATIN [occasion of war] noun phrase an event or situation that is
seen as justifying or causing hostilities
or that is used as an excuse for declaring war: "The invasion of the island could
constitute a casus belli in the eyes of the
international community"

catachresis (katakreesas) GREEK [misuse, from katachresthai to misuse] noun
(plural catachreses, katakreeseez) the
use of a word in the wrong context,
misuse of language.

catafalque (katafolk, katafalk) ITALIAN [from catafalco, probably from
catafalicum scaffold] noun an elaborate structure erected over or around
the coffin at a funeral or lying in
state, or a structure on which the
coffin is placed or carried in procession: "The dead president lay upon the
catafalque, surrounded by his grieving
people."

catalysis (katalasis) GREEK [kataluein
to dissolve] noun (plural catalyses,
katalaseez) the chemical process of
increasing the rate of a reaction without consuming or chemically changing the material concerned; also used
more widely to refer to the provocation or encouragement of an exchange
between parties or the precipitation
of change in general.

catamaran (katamaran, katamaran)
TAMIL [from kattumaram tied wood,
from kattu to tie and maram wood,
tree] noun a boat with twin hulls: "The technology of the catamaran has
advanced so far that it is now possible to
sail around the world in such vessels."