Anglicism
|an-gli-cism|
🇺🇸
/ˈæŋɡlɪsɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˈæŋɡlɪsɪz(ə)m/
English borrowing / English influence
Etymology
'Anglicism' originates from French, specifically the word 'anglicisme', where 'Anglic-' meant 'English' and '-isme' denoted a practice, characteristic, or system.
'Anglicism' traces back through French 'anglicisme' to Medieval Latin 'Anglicus' (meaning 'English'), itself from the name of the Angles ('Anglii') and the place name 'Anglia' (England); the French form was taken into English as 'anglicism'.
Initially the root forms meant 'of or relating to the English (people or language)', but over time 'Anglicism' came to mean specifically a borrowing from English or an English-influenced usage in another language.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a word or expression borrowed from English and used in another language.
Many modern technical terms such as 'computer' and 'internet' are Anglicisms in several languages.
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Noun 2
a feature of language (vocabulary, syntax, style) that reflects English influence or imitates English usage in another language.
Some critics argue that the translator's frequent Anglicisms make the text feel unnatural in the target language.
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Last updated: 2025/08/23 14:53