Loanword

A loanword is a word borrowed from one language (the source) into another language (the target). It usually enters as a full lexical item rather than as a direct translation and reflects contact between languages through trade, conquest, science, media, or migration. Loanwords can fill gaps in the target language or convey new concepts, technologies, or cultural items.

Loanwords may be direct borrowings, retaining form and meaning, or calques (lightly translated phrases). They often undergo adaptation to the target language’s phonology and writing system, and may be integrated morphologically, taking native plural endings or derivational patterns. Semantically, they can broaden, narrow, or acquire specialized senses over time.

Examples appear across languages. English borrows from French (cafe, ballet, rendezvous), German (kindergarten, blitz), Japanese (tsunami, karaoke), Italian (allegro), Arabic (algebra via Latin), and Turkish (kiosk). Spanish also absorbs terms such as fútbol from football. Other languages similarly accumulate loanwords in areas of science, technology, and global culture.

Loanwords illuminate historical contact, prestige, and shifts in culture. They may be resisted or embraced by speakers, and over time many become fully naturalized, losing overt traces of their origins. The study of loanwords, including their sources, rates of adoption, and integration, sheds light on language change, policy, and identity.