“卡拉OK”其實是日本詞

英語中有很多詞都是外來詞，而且相當一部分來自于同一語系的法語和德語。不過，今天我們列舉的這幾個詞，他們的來源卻相當特別哦！

Karaoke 卡拉OK

Language of Origin: Japanese

來源語：日語

About the Word:

It comes from the Japanese kara ("empty") + ōke, short for ōkesutora ("orchestra").

該詞來源語日語的kara（空的）和ōke（“樂團”的縮寫），即“空蕩蕩的樂團”。

Karaoke became popular in Japan among businessmen in the late 1970s, and gained widespread popularity in the U.S. in the late 1980s.

上世紀70年代后期，卡拉OK開始在日本商務人士當中流行起來，上世紀80年代后期盛行于美國。

Kowtow 屈從、獻媚

Language of Origin: Chinese

來源語：漢語

About the Word:

It comes from the Chinese kòutóu – kòu ("to knock") plus tóu ("head") – and originally referred to kneeling and touching one's head to the ground as a salute or act of worship to a revered authority.

該詞來源語漢語里的“叩頭”一詞，即以雙膝跪地、頭觸地的形式對權重人士表示尊敬。

The noun arrived in English in the early 1800s, and within a few decades had taken on the "fawn" or "suck up" verb meaning we use today.

該詞在19世紀早期被吸納進英語詞匯，后來幾十年間，該詞在英語中的意思逐漸固定為“巴結、獻媚”。

Ketchup 番茄醬

Language of Origin: Malay

來源語：馬來語

About the Word:

This all-American condiment started out as a spicy, fermented fish sauce in Malaysia.

如今已成為美國標志性佐料的番茄醬最開始在馬來西亞起源時其實是一種帶辣味的發酵魚露。

That version, known as kěchap, made its way first to Europe and then to the New World, where tomatoes eventually became the defining ingredient.

那種魚露的名字叫kěchap，最先傳到歐洲，然后才到達美洲新大陸，在那里，kěchap的主料逐漸變成了番茄。

Elsewhere, ketchup retains an earlier identity. Traditional English ketchup, for example, is a pureed seasoning based on mushrooms, unripe walnuts, or oysters.

在其他國家，番茄醬仍然保留原來的配料。例如，傳統的英式番茄醬是由蘑菇、尚未成熟的核桃或牡蠣制成的醬料。

Hazard 危險

Language of Origin: Arabic

來源語：阿拉伯語

About the Word:

Hazard dates to the time of the Crusaders and involves a game of chance.

Hazard一詞的來源要追溯到十字軍東征時期，與投機游戲有關。

According to the most likely theory, the original hazard ("al-zahr," in Arabic) was a die. Players would roll the dice and bet on the outcome.

可能性最高的一種說法是，hazard最開始其實就是個骰子。玩家通過擲骰子、猜點數來賭輸贏。

English got the word from French. In English, hazard eventually came to name any chance, risk, or source of danger.

英語中的hazard一詞來源于法語，指機遇、風險或危險的源頭。

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（英文及圖片來源：Merriam-Webster Online，編輯：Helen）

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