The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (72 page)

taverna (tavern3) GREEK [from Latin
taberna tavern] noun a cafe or bar
(especially one in Greece): "The tavernas were full of drunken soccer fans roaring their club anthems into the night."

techno- (tekno) GREEK [from tekhne
art or skill] prefix of or relating to
technology: technobabble, technophobia. Te Deum (tay tam, tee deeam)
LATIN [from to deum laudamus thee,
God, we praise] noun phrase (plural
Te Deums) we praise you God, the
opening words of a liturgical hymn of
praise to God, and thus the hymn itself
or any celebration of thanksgiving.

teepee See TEPEE.

telamon (telamon) GREEK [telamones,
after the mythological hero Telamon]
noun (plural telamones, telamoneez) a
male statue used as a supporting column in classical architecture.

telekinesis (telikaneesis, telikineesis) GREEK [movement at a distance]
noun the production of motion in
objects by spiritual or supernatural
rather than physical means: "Telekinesis
seemed to be the only explanation leftfor the
movement of the chair across the room."

telos (telos, teelos) GREEK [end, probably from tellein to accomplish] noun
(plural teloi) an ultimate end, aim,
or purpose.

temp. See TEMPO; TEMPORE.

tempera (tempera) ITALIAN [temper,
from temperare to temper] noun a
process of painting using pigment
mixed with egg yolk or other mediums rather than oil; may also refer
to the pigment itself: "He bought a fine Renaissance portrait of an Italian matron
in tempera."

tempo (tempo) ITALIAN [time, from
Latin tempus time] noun (plural tempos
or tempi, tempee) the pace at which
a piece of music is played, or more
generally the speed at which anything
is done: "Maggie could look at Stephen
... and he could even ask her to play his
accompaniment for him, since Lucy's fingers were so busy with that bazaar-work;
and lecture her on hurrying the tempo,
which was certainly Maggie's weak point."
(George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss,
1860). '"abbreviated form temp.

tempore (temporay) LATIN [in the
time of] preposition in the time of
(referring in chronologies to the
reigns of particular monarchs when
the exact dates are obscure). -abbreviated forms t., temp.

tempus fugit (tempas f)Loojit, tempas
f~Loozhit) LATIN [time flees] interjection time flies, time passes quickly:
"The author of the famous saying Tempus
fugit (you understand Latin, of course)
was, I take leave to think, an idle man."
(Wilkie Collins, "The Legacy of Cain,"
1889).

tenet (ten5t, teenat) LATIN [he
holds, from tenere to hold] noun a
belief, opinion, or principle generally
accepted as true (usuall), referring to
ideas common to the members of a
particular organization or profession):

"Lord Fawn, at Fawn Court, could not do
wrong. That was a tenet by which she was
obliged to hold fast." (Anthon), Trollope,
The Eustace Diamonds, 1873).

tenon (tenon) FRENCH [from tenir to
hold, from Latin tenere] noun a projection on the end of a piece of wood,
made to slot into a hole, called a mortise, cut in another piece of wood: A
mortar and tenon is a strong joint often used
in furniture making.'

tepee (teepee), teepee, tipi DAKOTA
Sioux [from ti to dwell and pi used
for] noun a conical tent of cloth or
hides stretched over a frame of poles,
a wigwam (as used by American
Plains Indians): "The chief received his
guests in his tepee, surrounded by his most
trusted advisers."

tequila (takeela) SPANISH [after
Tequila, Mexico] noun an Mexican
liquor distilled from the fermented
mash of agave.

terminus (termi113s) LATIN [boundary, end] noun (plural terminuses
or termini, termini, terminee) an
ultimate goal or destination (often a
station or other finishing point of a
travel route); may also refer to the
tip or extremity of something: "This
was the terminus of the `Cape Cod Railroad,' though it is but the beginning of
the Cape" (Henr), David Thoreau, Cape
Cod, 1865).

terminus ad quem (terminas ad kwem)
LATIN [end to which] noun phrase a
destination, purpose, or goal; may
also refer to a deadline or other finishing point.

terminus ante quem (terminas antee
kwem) LATIN [end before which]
noun phrase the finishing point of a
period, the latest possible date that
something could have happened.

terminus a quo (terminas ah kwo)
LATIN [end from which] noun phrase a
point of origin, a starting point.

terminus post quern (terminas post
kwem) LATIN [end after which] noun
phrase the earliest possible date that
something could have happened, the
earliest possible start of a period.

terpsichorean (terpsikareean, terpsikoreean) GREEK [after Terpsichore,
the Greek muse of dancing and choral
song] adjective of or related to dancing: "Young children spent many hours
being trained in music and the terpsichorean arts."

terra alba (tern alba) LATIN [white
earth] noun phrase white pulverized
gypsum (as used in various manufacturing processes); may also refer to
pipeclay, kaolin, magnesia, and other
substances.

terracotta (tcrakota) ITALIAN [from
terra cotta baked earth] noun a fired reddish glazed or unglazed clay used
for earthenware, or an item of pottery or decorative ware made from
such material. adjective of or relating to terracotta material, or reddish-brown in color: "The tree grew
in a vast terracotta pot decorated with
classical figures."

terra firma (tern ferma) LATIN [solid
land] noun phrase dry land, firm
ground: "The sailors were glad to reach
terra firma at last."

terra incognita (tern inkogjta, tern
inkognata) LATIN [unknown land]
noun phrase (plural terrae incognitae, ten inkogneeti) unknown territory, an unexplored field of study
or knowledge: "From this point on the
researchers were in terra incognita."

terra nova (tern nova) LATIN [new
land] noun phrase new land, newly
reclaimed land.

terrazzo (taratzo, taratsO) ITALIAN
[terrace, balcony] noun (plural terrazzi, taratzee, taratsee) a polished
mosaic floor made with chips of marble or granite set in mortar.

terrine (tureen, tureen) FRENCH
[earthenware pot, from Old French
terrin earthen, from Latin terra earth]
noun a tureen or earthenware dish in
which food is prepared; can also refer
to a mixture of meat, fish, or vegetables
cooked or served in a terrine: "They were served a cold salmon terrine for their
first course."

tertium quid (tersheeam kwid, terteeam kwid) LATIN [a third something, from Greek triton ti some third
thing] noun phrase a middle course
between two choices, something
intermediate between two things, a
third party: "For these reasons, and for
others which need not appear, I decline
to state positively whether there was anything irretrievably wrong in the relations
between the Man's Wife and the Tertium
Quid." (Rudyard Kipling, "At the Pit's
Mouth," 1888).

terza rima (tertsa reema) ITALIAN
[third rhyme] noun phrase a verse
form comprising rhyming triplets of
iambic pentameters (the middle line
of each triplet rhyming with the first
and third lines of the following triplet): As a poet he was unsurpassed as a
master of epic verse, most of which was
composed in terza rima."

tessera (tesara) LATIN [probably from
Greek tessares four (a reference to
the four corners of tablets or tiles)]
noun (plural tesserae, tesaree, tesarl)
a small tablet, tile, or block (as used in
mosaic work or, in ancient Rome, for
tickets and tallies): `After arranging the
watches, he ordered the tessera to be given
to the rest of the troops; when the bugle
sounded for the second watch they were to
muster round him in silence." (Livy, History of Rome, first century B.C.).

testator (testytar) LATIN [from testart to testify] noun (in law)a person
who has made a legally binding will.

testatrix (test4triks) LATIN [feminine form of testator] noun (in law)
a woman who has made a legally binding will.

testimonium (testamonceam) LATIN
[evidence, testimony] noun (plural testimoniums or testimonia, testamoneea) (in law) a concluding clause of
a document detailing the manner of
its execution; may also refer more
generally to any official certificate or
to a letter supporting the suitability
of an individual for holy orders.

tetanus (tetanas) LATIN noun a
bacterial disease in which a wound
becomes infected, characterized by
rigidity and spasms of the muscles,
also known as "lockjaw."

tete-a-tete (tayt a tom, tet a tet)
FRENCH [head to head] noun a private conversation between two parties: As the girl's father, he felt it was
time he had a tete-a-tete with his daughter's close friend." 'adjective face-toface. adverb privately, face-to-face.

tetragrammaton (tetragramatan)
GREEK [four letters, neuter of tetragrammatos having four letters] noun
the four Hebrew letters (YHWH or
JHVH) used to represent the name
of God.

T.G.V. See TRAIN A GRANDE VITESSE.

theatrum mundi (theeatram mandee)
LATIN [theater of the world] noun
phrase the representation of life as a
theatrical entertainment, the theater
as a mirror of the world.

the dansant (tay donson) FRENCH
[dancing tea] noun phrase (plural thes
dansants) a tea dance.

Theotokos (theeotakas) GREEK [from
theos god and -tokos having given birth
to] noun (especially in the Eastern
Orthodox Church) Mother of God, a
title of the Virgin Mary.

thesaurus (thasoras) LATIN [treasury,
store, collection, from Greek thesauros] noun (plural thesauruses or
thesauri, thasori, thasoree) a type
of dictionary that lists words and
their synonyms (and, sometimes, antonyms); may also refer to a classified
list of terms or keywords relating to
a particular subject: "Each student will
be expected to buy a good dictionary and
a thesaurus."

thesis (thccsas) GREEK [act of laying down] noun (plural theses,
theeseez) a position or proposition
advanced for discussion and proof
(often in the form of a dissertation
or essay based on research by the
author): "Those who heard him read his
Thesis at the Medical Commencement will
not soon forget the impression made by his

fine personal appearance and manners,
nor the universal interest excited in the
audience..." (Oliver Wendell Holmes,
ElsieVenner, 1859-60).

thespian (thespeean) GREEK [after
Thespis, the earliest recognized actor
in Greek classical theater] noun an
actor: "Vergil Gunch thundered, When
we manage to grab this celebrated Thespian off his lovely aggregation of beautiful actresses and I got to admit I
butted right into his dressing-room and
told him how the Boosters appreciated
the high-class artistic performance he's
giving us..." (Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt,
1922). adjective of or relating to the
theater.

thorax (thoraks) GREEK [chest] noun
(plural thoraxes or thoraces, thora
seez) the part of the body that is
enclosed by the ribs, the chest; also
the middle part of an insect's body,
between the head and the abdomen, to
which the wings and legs are attached.

threnos (threenos) GREEK [funeral
lament] noun (plural threnoi, threenoi) a song of lamentation, an elegy,
or threnody.

tiara (teeahrd) GREEK [crown] noun
a decorative (often expensively bejewelled) headband worn by women: "She
lifted her hand to the tiara of bright jewels
radiant on her head, and, plucking it of
with a force that dragged and strained her rich black hair with heedless cruelty, and
brought it tumbling wildly on her shoulders,
cast the gems upon the ground." (Charles
Dickens, Dombey and Son, 1846-48).

tibia (tibeea) LATIN [shin bone] noun
(plural tibiae, tibeei) the inner and
larger of the two bones of the human
leg, from knee to ankle, the shin
bone.

tic (tik) FRENCH [from Italian ticchiol
noun an involuntary facial twitch or
mannerism; may also be used more
generally of any unconscious quirk of
language or behavior: "The suspect was
described as tall and thin, with a shock of
red hair and a pronounced tic."

tic douloureux (tik doolaroo, tik
doolara) FRENCH [painful tic] noun
phrase a painful spasm (especially of
the facial muscles), trigeminal neuralgia: "Mr. Weller communicated this secret
with great glee, and winked so indefatigably after doing so, that Sam began to think
he must have got the tic douloureux in his
right eyelid." (Charles Dickens, Pickwick
Papers, 1836).

tika (teeka, tika) HINDI [from Hindi
tika or Panjabi tikka] noun a mark
on the forehead (especially of a
woman) identifying a Hindu's caste
or social status.

tildca (tika, teeka) PANIABI noun (in
Indian cuisine) a dish of spiced meat
or vegetables cooked on a skewer.

tilak (teelik) SANSKRIT [from tilaka]
noun a mark on the forehead identifying a Hindu's caste or social status.

tilde (tilda) SPANISH [from Latin titulus
title] noun the diacritical mark (as
on n) used in certain languages such as
Spanish and Portuguese to indicate a
palatal nasal sound or nasalization.

timbre (tambar, tambra), timber
FRENCH [bell struck by a hammer,
from Greek tymbanon kettledrum]
noun the resonance, tone, or other
qualities or characteristics of a particular sound, voice, or instrument:
"There was an interval of a second or two
between each word, and a sort of `ring,
ring, ring,' in the note of the voice, like the
timbre of a bell" (Rudyard Kipling, "In
the House of Suddhoo," 1888).

timpani (timpanee) ITALIAN [plural
of timpano kettledrum] plural noun
a set of kettledrums.

tinnitus (tb itds) LATIN [ringing, from
tinnire to ring] noun a medical condition resulting in a continuous ringing in the ears.

tipi See TEPEE.

tirade (tirayd, tires) FRENCH [shot,
from Italian tirare to draw, to shoot]
noun a prolonged outburst of denunciation (usually referring to haranguing, vehement speech, typically one
full of insults and invective): "I stared at her. How provoking she was! So I went
on to finish my tirade" (Joseph Conrad,
Chance, 1914).