← Mission map

Pet 11 of 16

Etymology II — Borrowed Words

📋 What it is

English borrows words from many languages — "pyjamas", "ketchup", "safari".

🗣️ Coach says

English is a magpie language — it borrows from everywhere. "Pyjamas" from Persian/Hindi, "ketchup" from Chinese, "safari" from Swahili. These borrowed words are little pieces of world history living in your vocabulary.

🧠 Memory hook

English borrows globally: pyjamas (Persian), ketchup (Chinese), safari (Swahili).

😂 Giggle

Why did the palindrome look in the mirror?
Because it reads the same forwards and backwards!

😲 Whoa!

English has borrowed words from over 350 languages — it may have the largest vocabulary of any language on Earth.

✅ Quick check: What does it mean that "safari" is a "borrowed word"?

Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.

🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)

Name a food word English borrowed from another language (pizza, sushi, taco).

⭐ Do the round to earn your star →
🤸 Brain break: Passport-stamp: mime "stamping" words as they travel into English.