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Quiz about What Language Did These Words Come From

What Language Did These Words Come From? Quiz

This is a quiz on etymology- the origin of some common words. From what languages did these words originate?

A multiple-choice quiz by crisw. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
crisw

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
3,122

Updated
May 25 22

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
10712

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: Guest 31 (14/15), Guest 108 (9/15), Guest 216 (7/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Eden, messiah, cabal Hint

Yiddish

Hindi

Arabic

Hebrew

NEXT>

Question 2 of 15

2. Pundit, Aryan, mantra Hint

Sanskrit

Japanese

Tamil

Arabic

NEXT>

Question 3 of 15

3. Segue, bizarre, opera Hint

Italian

German

French

Portuguese

NEXT>

Question 4 of 15

4. Skunk, raccoon, opossum Hint

American Indian languages

Polish

French

Dutch

NEXT>

Question 5 of 15

5. Galleon, barbecue, booby Hint

Dutch

Spanish

Italian

Portuguese

NEXT>

Question 6 of 15

6. Zero, coffee, lemon Hint

Spanish

Arabic

Dutch

Sanskrit

NEXT>

Question 7 of 15

7. Virus, salary, religion Hint

German

Latin

Greek

Old English

NEXT>

Question 8 of 15

8. Wisdom, woman, understand Hint

Old English

German

Dutch

Norse

NEXT>

Question 9 of 15

9. Hero, moron, psyche Hint

Latin

Greek

Italian

Old English

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. Bum, noodle, wonder Hint

German

Yiddish

Hebrew

Norse

NEXT>

Question 11 of 15

11. Husband, window, answer Hint

Dutch

Old English

German

Norse

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. Klutz, schtik, bagel Hint

Norse

German

Yiddish

Hebrew

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. Denim, despair, turquoise Hint

American Indian languages

Italian

Dutch

French

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. Ketchup, chow, tea Hint

Japanese

Malay

Chinese

Tagalog

NEXT>

Question 15 of 15

15. Skosh, tsunami, kamikaze Hint

Vietnamese

Chinese

Japanese

Tagalog

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 18 2024 : Guest 31: 14/15
Apr 18 2024 : Guest 108: 9/15
Apr 16 2024 : Guest 216: 7/15
Apr 08 2024 : Guest 157: 13/15
Mar 28 2024 : Changeling_de: 12/15
Mar 25 2024 : donkeehote: 15/15
Mar 11 2024 : Guest 203: 10/15
Mar 11 2024 : katie1945: 13/15
Mar 09 2024 : rossian: 14/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Eden, messiah, cabal

Answer: Hebrew

The source for the etymologies is www.dictionary.com.

2. Pundit, Aryan, mantra

Answer: Sanskrit

Although an ancient and unfamiliar language to most of us, many modern words have a Sanskrit origin.

3. Segue, bizarre, opera

Answer: Italian

There is some dispute about the origin of 'bizarre'. Some say it is Basque, but current etymologists think it is most probably Italian.

4. Skunk, raccoon, opossum

Answer: American Indian languages

"Raccoon," for example, came from "arakun"- "he who washes."

5. Galleon, barbecue, booby

Answer: Spanish

'Booby' is from the Spanish 'bobo'- clown. It is a clownish type of sea bird.

6. Zero, coffee, lemon

Answer: Arabic

The Arabs were some of the premier scientists of the ancient world, and many mathematical words trace back to them.

7. Virus, salary, religion

Answer: Latin

Latin is one of the largest contributors to modern English etymology.

8. Wisdom, woman, understand

Answer: Old English

Many words with "h" and "w" sounds have such origins.

9. Hero, moron, psyche

Answer: Greek

Greek is another of the extremely-common sources of English words.

10. Bum, noodle, wonder

Answer: German

Not all German words are a yard long!

11. Husband, window, answer

Answer: Norse

Can you hear a bit of a chill in the words from the North?

12. Klutz, schtik, bagel

Answer: Yiddish

And, of course, mensch, kvetch, and many other useful phrases!

13. Denim, despair, turquoise

Answer: French

There is a bit of elegance in French-derived words.

14. Ketchup, chow, tea

Answer: Chinese

'Ketchup' came from the Malay who got the word from the Chinese.

15. Skosh, tsunami, kamikaze

Answer: Japanese

"Skosh" is an Americanization of the Japanese "sukoshi."

Source: Author crisw

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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