Words English took from Spanish and French
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Entry
Cinch (noun) 1. a strap that holds a saddle on a horse. 2. informal: a task that is easy or certain. Origin: Spanish cincha “belt, saddle strap,” from Latin cingula “belt.” The informal sense is recorded later in English than the strap sense.
Noah quotes this entry in a report. Which sentence goes no further than the entry does?
- Cinch came to English from Spanish, and the “easy task” sense is recorded after the strap sense.
- English took cinch straight from Latin cingula “belt,” and Spanish merely changed its spelling along the way.
- The “easy task” sense came first, and the saddle strap sense grew out of it in later English use.
- Spanish speakers already used cincha for easy tasks long before English borrowed the word and its saddle sense.
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?
- 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.
- 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.
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?
- English built sombrero by adding -ero to the Spanish word sombra.
- Sombra “shade” was shortened from sombrero after the hat became popular.
- Sombrero is a Spanish word formed from sombra “shade” and the ending -ero.
- The entry shows -ero names hats, so Spanish words ending in -ero mean headwear.
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?
- furious, because the crew in the sentence felt furious
- strict and orderly, like the soldiers in a cavalry unit
- casually dismissive of a serious matter
- gallant and courteous, like a gentleman from an old story
Entry
Cache (noun) a hidden store of supplies. Origin: French cache “hiding place,” from cacher “to hide.” Sentence: The map app loaded slowly until it had built a cache of the routes the hikers used most.
Jun reads the sentence in the entry. Which meaning of “cache” fits it?
- a hand-drawn map showing which routes the hikers use the most
- a store of recently used data, kept close at hand for fast reuse
- a hidden store of data that the app keeps secret from its users
- a small supply of money that is set aside for emergencies and trips
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 bringing back of the team’s old equipment and records
- a written report on how well the team was playing
- a warning that the team has long distrusted adults
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 person who dumps trash in a closed rail yard
- a self-appointed enforcer who has no legal authority
- 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 → French alcôve → English alcove
- English alcove → French alcôve → Spanish alcoba → Arabic al-qubba
- Latin alcova → Spanish alcoba → French alcôve → English alcove
- Arabic al-qubba → Spanish alcoba → French alcôve → English alcove
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?
- English, since the entry gives the 1500s date for it
- a language of the Caribbean, named in the entry
- Latin, as with many Spanish words
- Spanish, the language English borrowed it from
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?
- Spanish, which had changed the Taino word batata
- 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