English Vocabulary: Foreign Words

précis

As fiction, Sophie's World deserves no better than a D+. But as a précis of great thought, Gaarder's tour de force rates a solid B.

“Looking-Glass Philosophy: An odd new novel blends mystery with metaphysics” (1994-11-14) By John Elson. Time Mag. Source

In the nickelodeon era, movies were closer to ten-minute précis of Classics Illustrated versions of literary works.

précis = a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory.

lycée

Poncelet was born in Metz, France, on July 1, 1788; the illegitimate son of Claude Poncelet, a lawyer of the Parliament of Metz, and a wealthy landowner. ... Returning to Metz for secondary education, he attended the lycée in his hometown.

Jean-Victor Poncelet (mathematician)

lycée = A French public secondary school. lycée

ne plus ultra

the studies are the ne plus ultra of romantic rhetoric and grandiloquence.

? On Liszt's Transcendental Etudes

ne plus ultra = The uttermost point to which one can go or attain; the highest point or degree.

esprit de corps

The students in Sewell's class learn the memory basics — keeping date books and to-do lists, developing first-letter mnemonics. A shopping list that includes lettuce, tomatoes and dishwashing liquid, for example, may be abbreviated LTD, or lots to do. I found the esprit de corps of the class a lot more motivating than hunching over a website by myself.

“The Battle to Save Your Memory” (2000-06-04) By Jeffrey Kluger. Time Mag. Source

esprit de corps = the spirit of a group that makes the members want the group to succeed.

ménage à trois

Nina Hartley (she lives in a ménage à trois) with a guy and another woman and refers to her more plebeian self as Monica)

ménage à trois = household for three; an arrangement where a married couple and a lover of one of them live together while sharing sexual relations. Ménage à trois

joie de vivre

you kind of lose whatever joie de vivre you were suppose to be getting from your runner's high.

joie de vivre = Hearty or carefree enjoyment of life. (AHD)

persona non grata

On June 30, after conducting its own investigation of the attack, the USFSA stripped Harding of her 1994 title and banned her for life from participating in sanctioned events and becoming a sanctioned coach. The USFSA concluded that Harding knew about the attack before it happened and displayed “a clear disregard for fairness, good sportsmanship and ethical behavior.” As part of her plea deal, she had already resigned from the USFSA and given up her spot on the team slated to take part in that year's world championships. Although the USFSA has no control over professional skating events, Harding was also persona non grata on the pro circuit because few skaters and promoters would work with her. Consequently, Harding did not herself benefit from the pro skating boom that ensued in the aftermath of the scandal.

Tonya Harding

persona non grata = a person who for some reason is not wanted or welcome. Persona non grata

beau monde

he considered her empty and much too beau monde.

beau monde = The world of fashionable society. (AHD)

sine qua non

The TeX typesetting lanugage...to be the sine qua non of technical typesetting, is ...

See also: The TeX Pestilence.

sine qua non = a prerequisite. Sine qua non

blasé

The drinkers seems more blasé than ever about the consequences.

blasé = uninterested because of frequent exposure or indulgence.

mélange

The science essay is a strange, error-filled mélange of pseudoscience, the Egyptian religion Ma'at and other fanciful ideas, written by Hunter Adams, a former environmental technician at Argonne National Laboratories in Illinois. Yet despite the essay's bizarre claims, it has been accepted not only by Afrocentric extremists but also by apparently scientifically illiterate school boards.

“Teaching Reverse Racism” (1994-04-04) By Leon Jaroff et al. Time Mag. Source

mélange = A mixture; a medley.

ad hominem

Debaters should avoid ad hominem arguments that question their opponents' motives.

AHD.

ad hominem = Appealing to personal considerations rather than to logic or reason: Debaters should avoid ad hominem arguments that question their opponents' motives. (AHD)

pro forma

in my family, the act of gifts giving on Christmas is considered as pro forma and thus very much looked down.

Xah Lee

pro forma = as a formality only; Done merely to get rid of a duty; perfunctory.

alma mater

alma mater of Harvard University

alma mater = A college or seminary where one is educated.

in toto

recommendations that were adopted in toto.

in toto = Totally; altogether.

lingua franca

Soccer, the lingua franca of sports everywhere else in the world, was finally - on tongues in the U.S. as the cup made its Stateside debut. And even if only a few in this country were fluent enough to know a penalty shot from a shootout, Americans filled up stadiums to watch. Now, even soccer-illiterate Yankees know how to say it: Gooooooaaaal !!!

“The Best and Worst Sports of 1994”. Time Mag. Source

stateside = Of or in the continental United States.

lingua franca = a common language used by speakers of different languages.

sui generis

Those who knew her or watched her from afar groped for the words that could explain their feeling of loss. A friend of hers said, with a soft, sad voice, that what we're losing is what we long for: the old idea of being cultivated. “She had this complex, colorful mind, she loved a turn of phrase. She didn't grow up in front of the TV set, but reading the classics and thinking about them and having thoughts about history. Oh,” he said, “we're losing her kind.”

I echoed the sentiment to another of her friends, who cut me off. “She wasn't a kind, she was sui generis.” And so she was.

“America's First Lady” (1994-05-30) By Peggy Noonan. Time Mag. Source

sui generis = constituting a class of its own; unique. sui generis

démodé

Remember when popular movies had women in them? In 1994's top films, the ladies were lucky if the guys let them even drive a bus. The typical female role was a captive or a pinup, wounded faun (Forrest Gump) or ditsy wife (True Lies). For its Best Actress prize, the New York Film Critics had to go to a TV movie (The Last Seduction's Linda Fiorentino). Affirmative action is démodé these days, but Hollywood needs some spur to bring women into full partnership with the Toms and Arnolds and Simbas.

“The Best Cinema of 1994” (1994-12-26) Time Mag. Source

ditsy = Eccentric or scatterbrained. (AHD)

démodé = out of fashion.

• nom de plume | Pascal [Blaise] sometimes wrote under the nom de plume of Lovis de Montalte, or its anagram, Amos Dettonville.

• annus mirabilis | It was an annus mirabilis, a year of marvels. For no particular reason, 1993 was the best year since the 1970s for new motion pictures.

• hoi polloi | This modern contempt for the “general audience” [books] is quite beyond me. If you have no use for the hoi polloi (or their artifacts), just read journals. —Mark Warrian.

Vocabulary Study: Foreign Words