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The development of the English language has been a long and complicated one. Many historical events, such as the Norman conquest of the British Isles, have helped develop the language. While English is always evolving and new words are consistently being adding to the dictionary, currently about 56% of English words have French and Latin origins.[1]Medium – The English language is a lot more French than we thought, here’s why In fact, you might actually understand a lot more French than you actually realize. With that in mind check out below for 95 French words used in English.
Table of Contents
French words used in English ending in -ble
Below are several English words with French origins ending in -ble:
- Adorable
- Comfortable
- Stable
- Table
- Visible
French words used in English ending in -ible
Below are two English words with French origins ending in -ible:
- Accessible
- Audible
French words used in English ending in -tion
Words in English that end in -tion come from Latin. French also comes from Latin. Therefore, there are many identical words that both end in -tion between the two languages. Below are several English words with French origins ending in -tion:
- Action
- Attention
- Communication
- Compétition
- Connexion
- Information
- Justification
- Télévision
- Transformation
French words used in English that originally had a circumflex
In French, the circumflex is used to show that the letter “s” used to follow the vowel. Below are two English words with French origins that had a circumflex:
- Forest
- Hospital
When you are looking for English words with French origins, you are bound to find many within the theme of food. Below are several English words with French origins related to food:
- à la carte
- Alcool
- Apéritif
- Bon appétit
- Café
- Chef
- Hors d’oeuvre
- Maître d
- Menu
- Omelette
- picnic
- Pot-pourri
- Restaurant
- Salade
- Soufflé
- Soupe
- Vinaigrette
Similar to food, France is well known for fashion. Therefore, it is not such a big surprise to find out that there are also many English words that have French origins related to this field. Below are several English words with French origins related to fashion and appearance:
- Chic
- Couture
- Etiquette
- Petite
- Prêt-à-porter
- Silhouette
Other common French words used in English
French and English have been mixed for such a long time, that many common words can be found between the two languages. Below are several additional English words with French origins:
- A propos
- Ambulance
- Amuse
- Avant-garde
- Bon voyage
- Bouquet
- Bourgeois
- Boutique
- Brunette
- Camouflage
- Chauffeur
- Cliché
- Coup
- Coup-de-Grâce
- Coupon
- Critique
- Crochet
- Cul-de-Sac
- Debacle
- Debris
- Déjà vu
- Dentist
- Depot
- Detour
- Dossier
- Eau de Cologne
- En route
- Encore
- Entrepreneur
- Envoy
- Façade
- Faux
- Faux-pas
- Fiancé
- Genre
- Joie de vivre
- Maneuver
- Matinée
- Mirage
- Parachute
- Pioneer
- Queue
- R.S.V.P
- Rectangle
- Renaissance
- Rendezvous
- Risqué
- Roulette
- Sabotage
- Séance
- Souvenir
- Toilette
- Touché
- Voyeur
Ideas for 95 French words used in English were taken from the following sources.[2]French Together – 53 French Words You Regularly Use in English[3]Babble – 31 English Words That Are Actually French[4]FluentU – 15 French Words That You’ve Seen Before… in English
