English Origins

#1 Latin

salary

월급, 급여

From Latin salarium ("salt money") — the allowance paid to Roman soldiers for the purchase of salt.

Ancient Rome Read →

#2 Greek

panic

공포, 공황

From Greek panikon ("of Pan") — the unaccountable terror the god Pan stirred up with strange sounds in the forest.

Ancient Greece Read →

#3 Greek

marathon

마라톤, 장거리 경주

From Greek Marathōn (the Battle of Marathon, 490 BCE) — the legend of the messenger who ran to deliver news of victory.

Ancient Greece Read →

#4 English

boycott

불매운동, 보이콧

From Captain Charles Boycott (Ireland, 1880) — the tenant farmers who collectively shunned a tyrannical land agent.

19th-century Ireland Read →

#5 Latin

candidate

후보자, 지원자

From Latin candidatus ("one clad in white") — the Roman custom of office-seekers approaching voters in a gleaming white toga.

Ancient Rome Read →

#6 Latin

trivial

하찮은, 사소한

From Latin trivium ("the place where three roads meet") — and the everyday chatter exchanged at such crossroads.

Ancient Rome Read →

#7 Latin

sinister

불길한, 사악한

From Latin sinister ("left") — and the Roman superstition that the left side was the unlucky one.

Ancient Rome Read →

#8 Italian

disaster

재난, 재앙

From Italian disastro — dis ("bad") + astro ("star") — rooted in the astrological belief that an unlucky alignment of the stars brings catastrophe.

The Renaissance Read →

#9 Latin

muscle

근육

From Latin musculus ("little mouse," diminutive of mus) — because a muscle moving beneath the skin looked like a little mouse.

Ancient Rome Read →

#10 Latin

companion

동반자, 친구

From Latin com- ("with") + panis ("bread") — the one who shares bread with you is your true companion.

Medieval Europe Read →

#11 Greek

clue

단서, 실마리

From clew ("ball of thread") — Ariadne's thread that guided Theseus out of the Minotaur's labyrinth.

Ancient Greece Read →

#12 Italian

quarantine

격리, 검역

From Italian quarantina ("forty days") — the forty-day isolation imposed on arriving ships in plague-era Venice.

Medieval Europe Read →

#13 Old English

gossip

험담, 소문

From Old English godsibb (god + sibb, "kin in God") — the intimate chatter between godparents that soured into gossip.

Medieval England Read →

#14 Greek

gymnasium

체육관, 실내 운동장

From Greek gymnos ("naked") — the place where the ancient Greeks exercised in the nude.

Ancient Greece Read →

#15 Latin

vaccine

백신, 예방 접종

From Latin vacca ("cow") — coined after Edward Jenner used cowpox to immunize against smallpox.

18th-century Britain Read →

#16 Arabic

alcohol

알코올, 술

From Arabic al-kuhl (الكحل), a fine antimony powder — its meaning shifted through alchemical distillation to "refined liquid."

The Islamic Golden Age Read →

#17 Persian

check

확인, 수표

From Persian shah ("king") → the chess cry "shah mat" (the king is trapped) → to restrain → to verify.

Medieval Persia Read →

#18 English

sandwich

샌드위치

From the Earl of Sandwich — the 4th Earl, who slid meat between two slices of bread so he could eat one-handed while gambling.

18th-century Britain Read →

#19 Italian

bankrupt

파산한, 파산자

From Italian banca rotta ("broken bench") — the medieval Italian custom of smashing the trading bench of a money-lender who could not pay.

Renaissance Italy Read →

#20 Greek

barbarian

야만인, 미개인

From Greek barbaros ("one who goes bar-bar") — a slur for foreigners who could not speak Greek, mocking their speech as babble.

Ancient Greece Read →

#21 Latin

nice

좋은, 친절한

From Latin nescius ("ignorant, foolish") — a word that reversed completely through the Middle Ages: "foolish → subtle → good."

Medieval Europe Read →

#22 Greek

sarcasm

빈정거림, 풍자

From Greek sarkazein (σαρκάζειν, "to tear flesh") — to mock someone as if tearing the flesh with words.

Ancient Greece Read →

#23 English

deadline

마감 기한

The "death line" of American Civil War prison camps — cross it and you were shot on the spot; later it came to mean a time limit.

The American Civil War Read →

#24 French

sabotage

사보타주, 파괴 공작

From French sabot ("wooden shoe") — workers' resistance: tossing wooden shoes into machines, or working clumsily in them.

19th-century France Read →

#25 Czech

robot

로봇

From Czech robota ("forced labor, serfdom") — used to name the artificial humans in Karel Capek's 1920 play R.U.R.

20th-century Czechoslovakia Read →

#26 Greek

mentor

멘토, 조언자

From Greek Mentōr, the friend of Odysseus — the goddess Athena took his form to guide Telemachus.

Ancient Greece Read →

#27 Greek

stadium

경기장, 스타디움

From Greek stadion (a unit of length, about 185 m) — the length of the ancient Olympic sprint track became the name of the venue itself.

Ancient Greece Read →

#28 Arabic/Persian

algorithm

알고리즘

From Al-Khwarizmi, a 9th-century Persian mathematician — the Latinized form of his name came to mean a mathematical procedure.

The Islamic Golden Age Read →

#29 Italian

influenza

인플루엔자, 독감

From Italian influenza ("influence") — medieval Italians believed the influence of the stars (influenza delle stelle) caused epidemics.

Medieval Italy Read →

#30 Old Persian

paradise

낙원, 천국

From Old Persian pairidaēza ("a walled garden") — the royal gardens of Persia became the very symbol of religious paradise.

Ancient Persia Read →

#31 Chinese (Hokkien) / Malay

ketchup

케첩

From the Chinese Hokkien word kê-tsiap ("fish brine") — it traveled through Southeast Asia and was reinvented in Britain as a tomato sauce.

17th century Read →

#32 Italian

cappuccino

카푸치노

From Italian cappuccio ("hood") — named for the color of the brown robes worn by Capuchin friars.

16th–20th century Read →

#33 Latin

biscuit

비스킷, 과자

From Latin bis coctus ("twice-cooked") — bread baked a second time so it would keep.

Middle Ages Read →

#34 Latin

toast

건배, 토스트

From Latin tostare ("to roast") — the sense of "a toast" arose from the custom of floating spiced toast in wine.

14th–17th century Read →

#35 Hindi / Sanskrit

punch

펀치(음료)

From Hindi panch ("five") — a drink made from five ingredients.

17th century Read →

#36 Gaelic

whisky

위스키

From Gaelic uisge beatha ("water of life") — a direct translation of the Latin aqua vitae.

15th–18th century Read →

#37 Latin / German

pretzel

프레첼

From Latin bracchium ("arm") — a bread shaped like arms folded in prayer.

Middle Ages Read →

#38 Nahuatl (Aztec)

avocado

아보카도

From Nahuatl ahuacatl — a word that also meant "testicle," a sense inspired by the shape of the fruit.

16th century Read →

#39 Latin

cereal

시리얼, 곡물

From the name of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.

Ancient Rome Read →

#40 French

denim

데님(청바지 천)

From French serge de Nîmes ("serge from Nîmes") — named after the French city.

17th–19th century Read →

#41 French / Italian

jeans

청바지

From Gênes, the French name for the Italian city of Genoa.

16th–19th century Read →

#42 Old English

lord

주인, 영주, 군주

From Old English hlaf-weard ("the keeper of the bread").

The Old English period Read →

#43 Old English

lady

숙녀, 귀부인

From Old English hlaf-dige ("the woman who kneads the bread").

The Old English period Read →

#44 Greek

hysteria

히스테리, 광란

From Greek hystera ("womb") — once thought to be an illness caused by the uterus itself.

Ancient Greece to the 19th century Read →

#45 Latin

lunatic

미치광이

From Latin luna ("moon") — born of the belief that the moon could unsettle the mind.

Middle Ages Read →

#46 Latin

patient

환자, 참을성 있는

From Latin patiens ("enduring suffering") — "to be patient" and "a patient" share one root.

Antiquity to the Middle Ages Read →

#47 Old English

nightmare

악몽

From Old English mare (a demon that presses on the chest) — nothing to do with a female horse.

Middle Ages Read →

#48 Greek

melancholy

우울, 침울

From Greek melan ("black") + khole ("bile") — the old medical belief that "black bile" brought on sadness.

Ancient Greece Read →

#49 Latin

humor

유머, 익살

From Latin umor ("body fluid") — rooted in the old medical belief that the body's fluids governed one's mood.

Antiquity to the Middle Ages Read →

#50 Greek

nostalgia

향수, 그리움

From Greek nostos ("homecoming") + algos ("pain") — literally "the ache to go home."

17th century Read →

#51 Greek

enthusiasm

열정, 열광

From Greek en ("within") + theos ("god") — the state of "having a god within."

Ancient Greece Read →

#52 Old Norse

berserk

광포한, 미쳐 날뛰는

From Old Norse ber ("bear") + serkr ("shirt") — "a warrior clad in bearskin."

The Viking Age Read →

#53 Latin

jovial

쾌활한, 명랑한

From Jupiter (Jove), king of the Roman gods — the belief that the planet Jupiter made one cheerful.

Antiquity to the Middle Ages Read →

#54 Latin

saturnine

침울한, 무뚝뚝한

From the Roman god Saturn (the planet Saturn) — from the belief that Saturn's influence bred a gloomy disposition.

The Middle Ages Read →

#55 Latin

mercurial

변덕스러운

From the Roman god Mercury (the planet Mercury) — the swift, ever-changing messenger god.

The Middle Ages Read →

#56 Old English

silly

어리석은, 우스꽝스러운

From Old English sælig ("blessed, happy") — a word whose meaning flipped to the very opposite.

Middle Ages Read →

#57 Old English

naughty

버릇없는, 못된

From Old English naught ("nothing," nawiht) — from "having nothing" to "badly behaved."

Middle Ages Read →

#58 Latin / French

amateur

아마추어, 애호가

From Latin amator ("lover") — one who does a thing for love rather than for money.

18th century Read →

#59 Latin

fan

팬, 열성가

From Latin fanaticus ("of a temple, frenzied") — a shortening of fanatic.

19th century Read →

#60 Latin / French

villain

악당

From Latin villa ("country farm") — originally "a farmhand who works the land."

Middle Ages Read →

#61 Greek

tantalize

애타게 하다, 감질나게 하다

From Tantalus of Greek myth — a king condemned never to eat or drink, though food and water stood within reach.

16th century Read →

#62 Greek

tragedy

비극

From Greek tragos ("goat") + oide ("song") — literally "goat song."

Ancient Greece Read →

#63 English (slang)

kidnap

납치하다

Slang kid ("child") + nap ("to snatch") → "to snatch a child."

17th century Read →

#64 Latin

fanatic

광신자, 열광자

From Latin fanum ("temple") → "one seized by the temple, lost in ecstatic frenzy."

16th century Read →

#65 Old Norse

window

창문

Old Norse vindauga = vindr ("wind") + auga ("eye") — literally a "wind eye."

The medieval Viking age Read →

#66 Latin

volcano

화산

Latin Vulcanus (Vulcan, god of fire) → a volcanic island off Sicily → volcano.

Ancient Rome Read →

#67 Old French

curfew

통행금지, 야간 통금

Old French cuevrefeu = couvrir ("to cover") + feu ("fire") — literally "cover the fire."

Medieval Europe Read →

#68 Latin

January

1월

Latin Januarius ("the month of Janus") → Janus, the two-faced god → January.

Ancient Rome Read →

#69 Greek

atlas

지도책

Greek Atlas (the Titan who held up the sky) → his figure on the title page of map collections → atlas.

Greek mythology / 16th century Read →

#70 French / Latin

nicotine

니코틴

From the name of French diplomat Jean Nicot → the botanical name Nicotiana → nicotine.

16th / 19th century Read →

#71 French

silhouette

실루엣, 윤곽

From the name of Étienne de Silhouette, a finance minister notorious for his stinginess → silhouette.

18th-century France Read →

#72 French

guillotine

단두대

From the name of the physician Joseph Guillotin → the execution machine he proposed → guillotine.

18th-century France Read →

#73 Greek

mausoleum

웅장한 무덤, 영묘

From the lavish tomb of Mausolus, an ancient king → mausoleum.

4th century BCE Read →

#74 Italian

malaria

말라리아

Italian mala aria = "bad (mala) air (aria)," from the old belief that the foul air of marshes caused the disease.

18th-century Italy Read →

#75 Greek

magnet

자석

Greek Magnes lithos ("the Magnesian stone") → the Greek place name Magnesia → magnet.

Ancient Greece Read →

#76 English

handicap

핸디캡, 불리한 조건

"Hand in cap" — from a 17th-century English betting and barter game.

17th-century England Read →

#77 Hindi

shampoo

샴푸

From Hindi chāmpo ("press, knead the muscles") — born from the Indian art of massage.

18th-century India and Britain Read →

#78 English (지명)

tuxedo

턱시도

From Tuxedo Park, a wealthy resort community in New York where the garment was first worn → tuxedo.

19th-century America Read →

#79 English (조어)

quark

쿼크

A nonsense word from a James Joyce novel, borrowed by a physicist to name a fundamental particle — quark.

20th century Read →

#80 English

tank

탱크, 전차

A WWI secret cover name ("water tank") that stuck — tank.

Early 20th century / World War I Read →

#81 Latin

decimate

대량으로 죽이다, 심하게 파괴하다

From Latin decimare ("to kill one in ten") → decem ("ten") → decimate.

Ancient Rome Read →

#82 Latin / Germanic

vandal

파괴자, 공공기물 파손자

From the name of the Vandals, the Germanic tribe that sacked Rome → vandal.

5th century Read →

#83 Arabic

assassin

암살자

From Arabic hashishin ("hashish-eaters") → a medieval order of assassins → assassin.

Middle Ages (11th–13th century) Read →

#84 Italian / Latin

infantry

보병

From Italian infante ("young soldier") → Latin infans ("a child too young to speak") → infantry.

Middle Ages to 16th century Read →

#85 French / Latin

ambulance

구급차

From French hôpital ambulant ("walking hospital") → Latin ambulare ("to walk") → ambulance.

18th–19th century Read →

#86 English (인명)

sideburns

구레나룻

From the name of Ambrose Burnside (a U.S. Civil War general) → burnsides → reversed into sideburns.

19th-century America Read →

#87 French (인명)

pasteurize

저온 살균하다

From the name of Louis Pasteur (the French scientist) → pasteurize.

19th-century France Read →

#88 German (인명)

diesel

디젤, 경유

From the name of Rudolf Diesel, the German inventor → diesel.

Late 19th-century Germany Read →

#89 English (인명)

lynch

사적으로 처형하다, 린치를 가하다

From the name of William Lynch, an American vigilante leader → lynch.

18th-century America Read →

#90 Greek

dinosaur

공룡

Greek deinos ("terrible") + sauros ("lizard") → dinosaur.

19th century (1841) Read →

#91 Greek

panorama

전경, 파노라마

Greek pan ("all") + horama ("a sight, a view") → panorama.

18th century (1789) Read →

#92 Greek

kaleidoscope

만화경

Greek kalos ("beautiful") + eidos ("shape") + skopein ("to look") → kaleidoscope.

19th century (1817) Read →

#93 Greek

orchestra

관현악단

From Greek orkhestra ("the dancing space") — from orkheisthai ("to dance").

Ancient Greece Read →

#94 English (상표)

tabloid

타블로이드 신문, 선정적 신문

From Tabloid, a trademark for compressed medicine tablets → from tablet → tabloid.

Late 19th century Read →

#95 English (두문자어)

laser

레이저

An acronym: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation → laser.

20th century (1960) Read →

#96 Greek

galaxy

은하

From Greek galaxias ("milky circle") → from gala ("milk") → galaxy.

Ancient Greece Read →

#97 Greek

comet

혜성

Greek (aster) kometes ("long-haired star") → kome ("hair") → comet.

Ancient Greece Read →

#98 Greek

planet

행성

Greek planetes ("wanderer") → planasthai ("to wander") → planet.

Ancient Greece Read →

#99 Persian / Arabic

checkmate

체크메이트, 외통수

Persian shah mat ("the king is helpless") → checkmate.

The Middle Ages Read →

#100 German/Czech

dollar

달러

Czech Joachimsthaler (a silver coin from Joachim's Valley) → Thaler → dollar.

16th-century Bohemia Read →

#101 Marshallese / French

bikini

비키니

Bikini Atoll in the Pacific → the name of a swimsuit unveiled in Paris in 1946.

1946, Bikini Atoll and Paris Read →

#102 English (인명)

gerrymander

게리맨더

Governor Elbridge Gerry + salamander → Gerry-mander → gerrymander.

1812, Massachusetts, United States Read →

#103 English (인명)

groggy

휘청거리는, 몽롱한

The admiral's nickname Old Grog → grog, rum cut with water → groggy.

1740, the Royal Navy Read →

#104 English (인명)

Luddite

러다이트

Ned Ludd, the name English textile workers signed in 1811 → Luddite.

1811–1816, England Read →

#105 French

mayday

메이데이(조난 신호)

French (venez) m'aider, "come help me" → the English spelling mayday.

1923, Croydon Airport, London Read →