How do French words like “cul-de-sac” and “hors d’oeuvres“ end up part of the English language without being translated to English words?
In: 13989
In addition to what everyone else has said: English actually includes a _lot_ of French words because at one point France had conquered and ruled England. So words like: Beef, Ambulance, Debris, Mutton, Pork, Dentist are all actually just untranslated French words.
English also adopted a lot of French words with slight spelling differences or turned a phrase into a single word, like Vinegar being from “vin aigre” meaning “sour wine” or Dandelion from “dent de lion” meaning “Lion’s Teeth”.
Hors D’oeuvres is just so French and has survived mostly unchanged so it’s more recognizable.
Latest Answers