The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (74 page)

troupe (troop) FRENCH [company,
herd, band] noun a company,
group, troop (of performers): "She
joined a troupe of traveling actors and,
despite her young age, was allowed the
occasional solo spot."-verb to gather or
travel in a group.

trousseau (troosO, trooSO) FRENCH
[outfit, diminutive of trousse bundle]
noun (plural trousseaus or trousseaux) the clothes, linen, household goods, and other possessions of
a bride at the time she gets married:
"Her trousseau included a lot of kitchenware and other practical items."

tsar See CZAR.

tsetse (tsetse, tetsee), tzetze TSWANA
[fly] noun a bloodsucking African fly
that transmits various diseases, including sleeping sickness, to humans and
other mammals by biting.

tsunami (soonahmee) JAPANESE [harbor
wave, from tsu harbor and nami wave]
noun (plural tsunami or tsunamis) a
tidal wave (the result of an earthquake
of volcanic eruption): "People living
along the coast had little chance to escape
the terrifying tsunami that surged in from
the ocean."

tufa (tuufa) ITALIAN [from tufo, from
Latin tophus] noun a soft porous rock
composed of calcium carbonate depos ited from mineral springs with a high
dissolved calcium content.

tumulus (toomyalas, tVoomyalas) LATIN
[from tumere to swell] noun (plural
tumuli, toomyali, toomyalce, tyoomvati, oomyalee) an artificial hillock or mound (often marking the site
of an ancient grave or harrow): `Archaeologists opened the tumulus but found little
evidence of anything pre-Roman."

tundra (tandra) RUSSIAN [marshy
plain] noun a cold, treeless plain with
a marshy surface over permafrost, typical of arctic and subarctic regions or
to mountain areas above the trecline:
"Special skills are needed to survive in the
tundra for more than a few days."

tu quoque (too kwokee, tyoo kwokee)
LATIN [you too] noun phrase (plural to
quoques) you too (a retort redirecting a charge or criticism at the
person who made it).

tutti (tootee) ITALIAN [all] adverb
(in music) all together. adjective all
together.

tutu (tootoo) FRENCH [from tutu
backside, diminutive of cul buttocks]
noun a short skirt with stiffened frills
of a type worn by ballet (lancers.

tycoon (tikoon) JAPANESE [from taikun
great lord, prince, from Chinese da
great and jun prince] noun a wealthy businessman or magnate (originally
a shogun of imperial Japan): "We were
told that her uncle is a tycoon somewhere
out east."

typhoon (tifoon) PORTUGUESE [from
tuf o, possibly from Greek tuphon
violent storm, influenced by Chinese
tai Jung big wind] noun a tropical
cyclone or whirlwind: "Three ships were
lost in a typhoon that struck the islands
three days later."

tyro (tiro), tiro LATIN [from tiro
young soldier] noun a novice, a
beginner.

tzetze See TSETSE.

tzigane (seegahn) HUNGARIAN [cziganr] noun a Hungarian Gypsy, a
Romany. -adjectire of or relating to
Hungarian Gypsies or Gypsy culture
(especially Gypsy music).

fiber- (uub2r) GERMAN [over, above]
prefix extremely or denoting an
extreme example of something, e.g.,
uberbabe, uberhip.

fiber alles (oobar alez) GERMAN
[above all] adverb phrase over everything else, above all else (usually associated with the former German national
anthem, first verse: "Deutschland Uber
alles").

Ubermensch (oobarmensh) GERMAN
[over person, from the title of a
philosophical treatise by Friedrich
Nietzsche (1844-1900)] noun (plural Llbermenschen, oobarmenshan)
superman (representing a supreme
form of human being): "The notion of
a kind of aryan super human, or Ubermensch, was taken up with enthusiasm by
the Nazi leadership."

uberrima fides (yooberima fideez)
LATIN [of the fullest faith] noun
phrase the utmost good faith, complete honesty (used chiefly as a legal
term) .

ubi suet (oobee soont) LATIN [where
are they] noun phrase (plural ubi Bunts)
nostalgia for the past, for vanished
times, people, or places.

ubi supra (oobee soopra) LATIN [where
above] adverb phrase where mentioned above, in the page or passage
previously referred to (used in bibliographical references). 'abbreviated
form u.s.

U-boat (n~tubot) GERMAN [from
U-Boot, short for Unterseeboot undersea boat] noun a German submarine,
especially in World Wars I and II: "The
British liner, the Lusitania, was sunk by a
German U-boat in 1915."

u.d. See UT DICTUM.

Uilleann pipes (ilin pp) IRISH GAELIC
[from piob uilleann pipe of the elbow]
plural noun Irish bagpipes, played,
usually while sitting down, by squeezing bellows under the arm: "The singer
was accompanied on keyboards, fiddle, Uilleann pipes, whistle, and frets."

ultlander (ootlandar, ootlahndar)
AFRIKAANS [from Middle Dutch utelander outlander, foreigner] noun a
foreigner (formerly referring specificall), to a person of British origin living
in the Transvaal or Orange Free State):
"The Boers resented the presence of so many
uitlanders, chiefly Britons, in their villages
and violence was inevitable."

ukelele See UKULELE.

ukiyo-e (ookeeoy) JAPANESE [fleeting world, from ukiyo fleeting and yo
world] noun a movement in Japanese art of the 17th, 18th, and 19th
centuries, typically depicting domestic and everyday scenes.

ukulele (yookalklee), ukelele HAWAIIAN [jumping flea, from uku flea
and lele jumping] noun a small fourstringed guitar originally of Portuguese origin but usually associated
with Hawaii, where such instruments
became very popular: "The girl's grandfather had enjoyed a career as a singer in
revue, often accompanying himself on a
battered old ukulele."

ult. See ULTIMO.

ulterior (ulteereear) LATIN [father,
beyond] adjective further, future,
remoter, thither; may also refer to
something that goes beyond what is
openly said or otherwise revealed:
"Several observers suspected that the president had an ulterior motive."

ultima ratio (ultima rahteeo, ultima
rsheeo) LATIN [the last plan] noun
phrase the last resort, the final argument, the final sanction.

ultima Thule (ultima t)roolee) LATIN
[farthestThule] noun phrase the most
remote part or limit of the discoverable world, formerly identified as
Ireland, Norway, or Iceland but originally a reference to the northernmost
region of ancient Greece; may also
refer generally to any remote objective or point.

ultimatum (ultama tam) LATIN [neuter
of ultimatus final] noun (plural ultimatums or ultimata, ultarta)
a final demand or proposition, the
refusal of which will result in the end
of negotiations or other immediate
action: "The invaders delivered an ultimatum, demanding the surrender of all
surviving forces before midnight."

ultimo (ultamo) LATIN [in the last,
from ultimo mense in the last month]
adjective of or relating to the preceding month: "`We will then,' continued
my father, `resume the subject of mine
of the 1-st ultimo, to which you sent
me an answer which was unadvised and
unsatisfactory"' (Walter Scott, Rob Roy,
1817). 'abbreviated form ult., ulto.

ultra (ultra) LATIN [beyond, above,
exceeding] adjective extreme, radical, excessive. -noun an extremist, a
radical (usually with reference to poli tics): "The new policyfailed to attract the
support of ultras within the party"

ultra- (ultra) LATIN [beyond] prefix
extremely, e.g., ultraconservative, ultramodern.

ultra vices (ultra vireez) LATIN
[beyond power] adverb phrase beyond
the power or scope of a particular legislative authority or other legal body
or official: "The government's decision was
declared ultra vires by the courts."

umbilicus (umbilikas, umbalikas) LATIN
[navel] noun (plural umbilicuses or
umbilici, ambilikee, ambalisee) navel, bellybutton; may refer more
generally to the core or center of
something.

umbra (umbra) LATIN [shade,
shadow] noun (plural umbras or
umbrae, umbree, umbri) a shaded
area (often referring specifically
to the shadow cast by a celestial
body); sometimes also used to refer
to an inseparable companion or other
person who persistently shadows
someone else: "Radio communication
with the spacecraft was temporarily lost
as it passed through the moon's umbra."

umlaut (uumlowt) GERMAN [from
um around and Lout sound] noun a
vowel change in which the sound is
influenced through assimilation with
the following syllable, or the diacriti cal mark, (as on a) representing such
a change.

Umwelt (umvelt) GERMAN [environment] noun the environment, the
surrounding world, milieu.

uni- (Chines) LATIN [from unus one]
prefix one, e.g., unicycle, unilateral.

Untermensch (uuntarmensh) GERMAN
[under person] noun (plural Untermenschen, uuntamenshan) a racially
inferior person (usually associated
with the racial policies of Nazi Germany).

uomo universale (womo yooniversahlee) ITALIAN [universal man] noun
phrase (plural uomini universali,
womini yooniversahlee) a person
with knowledge of or expertise in
a wide range of fields, a Renaissance man: "The count liked to think of
himself as a uomo universals, although
his critics considered him a pompous
dilettante."

urbi et orbi (erbee et orbee) LATIN
[for the city and the world] adverb
phrase (relating to proclamations issued
by the Roman Catholic Church)
to be observed by Roman Catholics
around the world.

urbs (erbz) LATIN [city] noun the
city, modern urban society: "Trends in
modern rock are dominated by the urbs."

Ursa Major (crsa rjar) LATIN [large
hear] noun phrase (in astronomy) the
Great Bear, a large constellation in
the northern hemisphere, of which
the seven brightest stars form the Big
Dipper, also called (especially in Great
Britain) the Plough.

Ursa Minor (crsa minar) LATIN [small
hear] noun phrase (in astronomy)
the Little Bear, a constellation in the
northern hemisphere, which contains
the north celestial pole and the Polaris, the pole star. The brightest stars
form the Little Dipper.

U.S. See U13I SUPRA; UT SUPRA.

ut dictum (oot diktam) LATIN [as said]
adverb phrase as directed. -abbreviated forms u.d., ut dict.

uterus (yuutaras) LATIN [belly or
womb] noun (plural uteri,yuutari
a hollow muscular organ within the

pelvic cavity of a woman or other
female mammal, in which the fetus
develops during pregnancy, the
womb.

ut infra (oot infra) LATIN [as below]
adverb phrase see below (used in bibliographical references). -abbreviated
form ut inf.

utopia (yootopeea) GREEK [after
Utopia, the idealized island society
envisaged by SirThomas More (1478-
1535) in his treatise Utopia (1516),
from Greek ou no and topes place]
noun an imaginary place or situation
in which ideal conditions prevail: "The
new regime represented a kind of utopia for
scientists eager to pursue research without
official interference."

utsupra (ootsoopra) LATIN [as above]
adverb phrase see above, as previously
(used in bibliographical references).
'"abbreviated forms u.s., ut sup.

V. See VERSO; VERSUS; VIDE.

vacuum (vak)'oom, v3kyoo2m) LATIN
[vacant, neuter of vacuus empty] noun
(plural vacuums or vacua, vak),ooa)
an empty space, a void or state of isolation; also used as an abbreviation of
vacuum cleaner: `His resignation left a
vacuum in the party leadership." -adjective
of or relating to a vacuum. verb to use
a vacuum cleaner or some other device
capable of creating a vacuum.

vade in pace (vaydee in phchay)
LATIN [go in peace] verb phrase go in
the peace of God.

vade mecum (va),dee meekam, vahdee
iykam) LATIN [go with me] noun
(plural vade mecums) a manual or
other small reference book; may also
refer to anything useful habitually carried about the person: "Over the course
of their holiday the wine guide became
their vade mecum."

vae victis (vi viktis) LATIN [woe to the
conquered, quoting the Roman histo rian Livy (59 B.C. A.D. 17)] interjection
woe to the vanquished (a demand
for-an enemy to be humiliated after
defeat).