Part 9 (1/2)
Protege.
Recherche.
Seance.
Soiree.
Trousseau.
The Scotch have always had a closer connection with the French nation than England; and hence we find in the Scottish dialect of English a number of French words that are not used in South Britain at all. A leg of mutton is called in Scotland a +gigot+; the dish on which it is laid is an +ashet+ (from _a.s.siette_); a cup for tea or for wine is a +ta.s.sie+ (from _ta.s.se_); the gate of a town is called the +port+; and a stubborn person is +dour+ (Fr. _dur_, from Lat. _durus_); while a gentle and amiable person is +douce+ (Fr. _douce_, Lat. _dulcis_).
[Footnote 15: _Gout_ (goo) from Latin _gustus_, taste.]
7. +German Words.+-- It must not be forgotten that English is a Low-German dialect, while the German of books is New High-German. We have never borrowed directly from High-German, because we have never needed to borrow. Those modern German words that have come into our language in recent times are chiefly the names of minerals, with a few striking exceptions, such as +loafer+, which came to us from the German immigrants to the United States, and +plunder+, which seems to have been brought from Germany by English soldiers who had served under Gustavus Adolphus. The following are the German words which we have received in recent times:--
Cobalt.
Felspar.
Hornblende.
Landgrave.
Loafer.
Margrave.
Meerschaum.
Nickel.
Plunder.
Poodle.
Quartz.
Zinc.
8. +Hebrew Words.+-- These, with very few exceptions, have come to us from the translation of the Bible, which is now in use in our homes and churches. +Abbot+ and +abbey+ come from the Hebrew word +abba+, father; and such words as +cabal+ and +Talmud+, though not found in the Old Testament, have been contributed by Jewish literature. The following is a tolerably complete list:--
Abbey.
Abbot.
Amen.
Behemoth.
Cabal.
Cherub.
Cinnamon.
Hallelujah.
Hosannah.
Jehovah.
Jubilee.
Gehenna.
Leviathan.
Manna.
Paschal.
Pharisee.
Pharisaical.
Rabbi.
Sabbath.
Sadducees.
Satan.
Seraph.
s.h.i.+bboleth.
Talmud.