Words English took from Spanish and French
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Entry
Vanilla (noun) a flavoring made from the seed pods of a tropical orchid. Origin: Spanish vainilla “little pod,” from vaina “pod, sheath” + -illa, “little.” English first recorded the word in the 1600s.
Bo quotes this entry in a report. Which sentence goes no further than the entry does?
- English made vanilla by adding -illa to the Spanish word vaina “pod,” rather than borrowing a finished word.
- Spanish explorers named vanilla “little pod” because its smell is so mild compared with the pod’s size.
- Vanilla is a Spanish word built from vaina “pod” and -illa “little,” and English recorded it in the 1600s.
- Since -illa means “little,” the entry shows that Spanish words ending in -illa name small things.
Entry
Armadillo (noun) a burrowing mammal covered in bony plates. Origin: Spanish armadillo “little armored one,” from armado “armored” + -illo, “little.” First recorded in English in the 1500s.
Luz quotes this entry in a report. Which sentence goes no further than the entry does?
- Spanish settlers chose the name because the animal is smaller than other armored animals.
- English took the word from Latin, and Spanish merely supplied the -illo ending.
- Spanish armado was cut down from armadillo after English adopted the longer word.
- The name is Spanish for “little armored one,” and English first recorded it in the 1500s.
Entry
Sombrero (noun) a hat with a wide brim. Origin: Spanish sombrero, from sombra “shade” + -ero, an ending for a thing or person connected with the base word.
Kira quotes this entry in a report. Which sentence goes no further than the entry does?
- Sombrero is a Spanish word formed from sombra “shade” and the ending -ero.
- English built sombrero by adding -ero to the Spanish word sombra.
- The entry shows -ero names hats, so Spanish words ending in -ero mean headwear.
- Sombra “shade” was shortened from sombrero after the hat became popular.
Entry
Cavalier (adjective) casual about something serious, in a way that shows a lack of respect; (noun) a gallant gentleman, once a horseman. Origin: French cavalier “horseman,” from Italian cavaliere. Sentence: The manager’s cavalier reply to the safety complaint left the crew furious.
Pia reads the sentence in the entry. Which meaning of “cavalier” fits it?
- gallant and courteous, like a gentleman from an old story
- strict and orderly, like the soldiers in a cavalry unit
- casually dismissive of a serious matter
- furious, because the crew in the sentence felt furious
Entry
Rapport (noun) a relationship of mutual understanding and trust. Origin: French rapport “a bringing back, a report,” from rapporter “to bring back.” Sentence: Within a month the new coach had built a rapport with a team that had distrusted every adult.
Esme reads the sentence in the entry. Which meaning of “rapport” fits it?
- a relationship of trust and easy understanding
- a written report on how well the team was playing
- a warning that the team has long distrusted adults
- a bringing back of the team’s old equipment and records
Entry
Vigilante (noun) a self-appointed watcher who enforces rules without legal authority. Origin: Spanish vigilante “watchful,” from Latin vigilans. Sentence: A few vigilantes began patrolling the closed rail yard to stop the dumping, though the police had asked them to stay away.
Milo reads the sentence in the entry. Which meaning of “vigilante” fits it?
- a self-appointed enforcer who has no legal authority
- a person who dumps trash in a closed rail yard
- a careful guard who watches over a place for its owner
- a volunteer who has been sworn in to help the police
Entry
Alcove (noun) a small recess in a wall, or a nook off a larger room. Origin: French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba, from Arabic al-qubba “the vault.”
Zee traces alcove. Which account of its path matches the entry?
- Arabic al-qubba → Spanish alcoba → French alcôve → English alcove
- English alcove → French alcôve → Spanish alcoba → Arabic al-qubba
- Latin alcova → Spanish alcoba → French alcôve → English alcove
- Arabic al-qubba → French alcôve → English alcove
Entry
Magazine (noun) 1. a storehouse. 2. a periodical of articles and pictures, so called as a storehouse of information. Origin: French magasin “storehouse,” from Italian magazzino, from Arabic makhāzin “storehouses.”
Ari traces magazine. Which account of its path matches the entry?
- Greek magazin → Italian magazzino → French magasin → English magazine
- French magasin → Italian magazzino → Arabic makhāzin → English magazine
- Arabic makhāzin → Italian magazzino → French magasin → English magazine
- Arabic makhāzin → French magasin → English magazine
Entry
Canoe (noun) a light, narrow boat moved by paddles. Origin: Spanish canoa, from a language of the Caribbean. English first recorded the word in the 1500s.
Tala asks what the entry names as the first source of canoe. Which answer is right?
- Spanish, the language English borrowed it from
- Latin, as with many Spanish words
- a language of the Caribbean, named in the entry
- English, since the entry gives the 1500s date for it
Entry
Potato (noun) a starchy underground stem eaten cooked. Origin: Spanish patata, a changed form of batata, a word from Taino, a language of the Caribbean, for the sweet potato. English first recorded the word in the 1500s.
Ren asks which language English borrowed potato from directly. Which answer matches the entry?
- Portuguese, since many early plant names reached English that way
- Quechua, the language of the Andes, where potatoes were grown
- Taino, the language of the original word batata
- Spanish, which had changed the Taino word batata