Real Words Without Definition
This one is a judgement call.
A foreign word used in English without ever being translated.
adelphoi is Greek for brothers. aburabozu is a Japanese fish. achtelthaler is a German coin worth an eighth of a thaler. afghanets is a Russian word for a dusty Central Asian wind.
They turn up in English books, so somebody wrote them down. They never became English words, so no dictionary lists them.
2,016 words · sorted A to Z · each with a line on why it is here
Matches the word itself, not the note beside it. Case does not matter.
| Word, sorted Z to A | Language and meaning |
|---|---|
| musumee | Japanese musume, a girl |
| mutwalli | Arabic mutawalli, manager of a waqf |
| muzoona | Arabic, a Moroccan copper coin (mazuna) |
| mythologema | Greek, a mythic narrative |
| nabbuk | Arabic nabq, the Christ's-thorn tree |
| nachus | Yiddish naches, pride and gratification |
| naiskoi | Greek, plural of naiskos, small shrines |
| naiskos | Greek, a small temple or shrine |
| nakhod | Persian nakhoda, a ship's captain |
| namare | Law Latin, to distrain, take in pledge |
| namatio | Law Latin, a distraint, taking of goods |
| namda | Urdu namda, a felt rug (numdah) |
| nammad | Persian namad, felt or felt rug |
| napooh | Fr. il n'y a plus, WWI slang for finished |
| nardu | Australian Aboriginal, the nardoo plant |
| narrishkeit | Yiddish, foolishness, silly nonsense |
| nashim | Hebrew, women; order of the Mishnah |
| naukrar | Greek, head of an Athenian naucrary |
| navagium | Law Latin, tenant's duty of ship-service |
| naviculare | Latin, (os) naviculare, the navicular bone |
| nazeranna | Anglo-Indian, ceremonial gift to a superior |
| neemba | Sanskrit/Hindi nimba, the neem tree |
| neilah | Hebrew, closing service of Yom Kippur |
| nenta | S. African, plant poisonous to sheep |
| nepmen | Russian, private traders under the NEP |
| netcha | Inuit, the seal (cf. Netchilik) |
| neugkroschen | German, Neugroschen, a Saxon coin |
| niata | Spanish, snub-nosed S. American cattle breed |
| nichevo | Russian, never mind, it does not matter |
| niepa | Indian, the niepa bark tree (Samadera) |
| nikkudim | Hebrew, the vowel points of pointed script |
| niyama | Sanskrit, yogic observance or restraint |
| nizamat | Anglo-Indian, the office of a nizam |
| noummos | Greek, a coin (= Latin nummus) |
| nuragh | Sardinian, nuraghe, a prehistoric stone tower |
| obarne | Russian, a kind of boiled mead |
| obarni | Russian, a kind of mead, var. obarne |
| octaechos | Greek, the eight-mode chant book |
| octastylos | Latin, an eight-columned portico |
| octavarium | church Latin, book of octaves of feasts |
| ocuby | Tupi, tree yielding ocuba wax |
| oinochoi | Greek, plural of oinochoe (wine jug) |
| okroog | Russian okrug, a district |
| okruzi | Serbo-Croatian, districts (pl. of okrug) |
| oktastylos | Greek, eight-columned (octastyle) |
| olluck | Anglo-Indian, a measure of capacity |
| ombrette | French, the umbrette or hammerkop |
| oncetta | Italian, a small ounce weight |
| onkos | Greek, a mass; the tragic headdress |
| opaion | Greek, an opening in a temple roof |
| opelu | Hawaiian, the mackerel scad |
| opisthodomus | Latin, the rear chamber of a temple |
| opsonia | Latin/Greek, plural of opsonium, relishes |
| opsonium | Greek, food eaten with bread, a relish |
| orabassu | Tupi (Brazil), a titi monkey |
| orecchion | Italian, the orillon of a bastion |
| oreillet | French, ear-flap or ear-piece of armor |
| orpheon | French, a male-voice choral society |
| orselle | French, orseille, the orchil lichen |
| orterde | German, a loose iron-pan layer in soil |
| orthostatai | Greek, upright wall blocks (pl. orthostatai) |
| orthostati | Latin pl., orthostates, upright stone slabs |
| orthron | Greek, orthros, the dawn |
| ortstaler | German, a quarter-thaler coin |
| ouabaio | Somali, the arrow-poison tree Acokanthera |
| ouabe | Somali, the ouabain arrow-poison |
| oubliance | French, forgetfulness, oblivion |
| oukia | Greek, an ounce as a unit of weight |
| ouyezd | Russian, uyezd, a district |
| oxhoft | Danish/German, a hogshead cask measure |
| oxybapha | Greek, plural of oxybaphon, vinegar-saucers |
| oxybaphon | Greek, a vinegar saucer and small measure |
| oxypycnos | Greek, top note of a pyknon in music |
| paccha | Quechua, an Inca ritual libation vessel |
| pacouryuva | Guiana, the bakuri tree Platonia insignis |
| padou | French, a narrow silk ribbon or tape |
| pailow | Chinese pai-lou, a memorial gateway |
| paimaneh | Persian, a drinking cup or goblet |
| pajaroello | Calif. Spanish, a venomous tick |
| palaiste | Greek, a palm's breadth |
| palame | Greek palame, the palm of the hand |
| palank | Turkish palanka, a stockaded post |
| palmillo | Spanish, a small palm or yucca |
| pambanmanche | Tamil, a coasting boat of the Pamban coast |
| pampanito | Spanish, the pompano fish |
| pampharmacon | Greek, a universal remedy |
| panamano | Spanish, Panamanian |
| panchama | Sanskrit, fifth caste, an outcaste |
| pancration | Greek, the ancient all-in wrestling contest |
| panegyrica | Latin, panegyrics, neuter plural |
| panegyricum | Latin, a panegyric |
| panguingui | Spanish-Philippine, the card game panguingue |
| panisca | Latin, a female Pan or wood nymph |
| pannag | Hebrew, an unidentified commodity in Ezekiel 27 |
| pansiere | Italian, armor covering the belly |
| pantheum | Latin, a pantheon or composite deity figure |
| pantine | French pantin, a jointed paper puppet |
| pantothen | Greek, from all sides |
| papagallo | Italian, a parrot |
| parakilya | Australian Aboriginal, the parakeelya plant |
The other lists filed alongside this one.
