# American English has no word for .... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659 "2009-10-29T21:12:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/81 "2009-10-30T05:52:49Z")
German has a word “Fernweh”, which is the opposite of homesickness - “Far away-sickness”, I guess - the desire to be far away, traveling. “Wanderlust” might be the closest English equivalent, but my impression is that Fernweh is a bit more sad and regretful. Anyways, it’s a nice concept, and it would be nice if English had a simple word to encapsulate it. ---
**Author:** ![Rala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Rala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rala)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/82 "2009-10-30T06:52:25Z")
I wish we had an antonym for ‘perfect’. Not ‘imperfect’, which means ‘not perfect’, but something that means absolutely bad like perfect means absolutely good. I want separate words for the plural and singular ‘you’. Italian has two words for ‘know’. There’s conoscere (I know that man, I know that city, etc.) and there’s sapere (I know that 2 + 2 = 4). We should get something like that. I also want words that differentiate between the different kinds of love, like Greek (I think) has storge, eros, agape, etc. There are so many cool foreign words in this thread. I’m going to start using them. (Maybe not aloud, because it would get me strange looks and I’d probably pronounce them wrong.) And I’m probably about to find out that we do have words for the things I mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/83 "2009-10-30T08:18:11Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And we have “English muffins,” which I love. Brits have “crumpets,” which I hate. Brits have muffins too. Crumpets are a different beast. > [@jjimm](#): > > The Irish noun _craic_. [An amorphous cloud of fun] That would, in fact, be the English noun _crack,_ which the Irish adopted and gave a faux Gaelic spelling. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/84 "2009-10-30T08:39:48Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes – the closest things in British usage are scones, but they aren’t as sweet, and they are served with the main course of the meal. Scones, in England, are fairly sweet and are not served with a main meal. They are a kind of snack usually topped with jam or honey or anything sweet. Mmmmm scones ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/85 "2009-10-30T08:40:11Z")
In Norwegian, there is a cover word for everything (except butter) that you can put on a piece of bread to make it a sandwich. Lunch meat, cheese, jam, peanut butter - it’s all pålegg. No easy way to say that in English. “Sandwich fillings” comes close but isn’t as broad, and it certainly isn’t in as common use. There is also the wonderful Norwegian expression “tingenes iboende faenskap” which I wouldn’t care to try to translate - it means the evil inherent in inanimate objects, but it means more than that and is a bit naughty besides. It’s what you blame for those times when things around you seem bent on making your life miserable. The computer that crashes as you’re on your way to click “Save”, the bag that jumps off the table where you _just put it down_ and hides when you’re already running late, the cell phone battery that drains itself when it knows you have six important calls to make. We’ve all had days like that, right? ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/86 "2009-10-30T09:23:04Z")
In all honesty, i think there numerous words in every language that have no direct translation into another language. They may have something that comes close to it, but the connotation or the strength may be totally different. There are about three languages I know well enough to have a feeling of the appropriateness of translations and they all have this kind of words. _Gezeligheid_ in dutch is definately one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/87 "2009-10-30T09:35:21Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > There isn’t a word in English to describe the relationship of parents whose kids are married to each other. For example, if my son is married to Sally Smith, and Sally’s father and mother are John and Mary Smith, the most concise way to describe the relationship is to say “John and Mary Smith are my son’s in-laws.” > > As I understand it, such a word does exist in some African languages. When you say, “John and Mary Smith are our \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_,” people understand that your kid is married to their kid. In Spanish as well. The inlaws of your relatives are your “with-family.” My SIL is my cuñada. Her brother is my concuñado. Mom is SIL’s suegra. Mom and SIL’s Mom are consuegras. My cousin’s cousins on the other side are my reprimos (although this may be a local term). This isn’t coprimos or conprimos because all the relationships involved are biological. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/88 "2009-10-30T09:42:44Z")
> [@](#): > > **Superfluous Parentheses** : > > > [@](#): > > > > **Chez Guevara** : hygge. > > Sounds gezellig I thought of the Danish word when I saw _gezellig_ also. The Danish word has a form similar to your word. It is spelled _hyggelig_. I lived with a Danish family for a while once and that is how the word was taught to me. Maybe the two are different parts of speech. It is a wonderful word! That and _saudade_ are my favorite words in the world! I think that I may have learned _saudade_ from listening to Sambas. My husband told me what it meant. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/89 "2009-10-30T09:49:05Z")
**flodnak** , would pålegg cover foie-gras or nutella, or not? Spanish relleno (filling, the same word used for the filling inside a thick coat or a pillow; the verb is “rellenar” and it’s different from “llenar,” which means “to make full,” for example a handbag) is reserved for things inside a sandwich that you can take back out. The ones that get irreversibly “stuck” on the bread are untos or untaduras but it’s more normal to use the verbal forms (the verb is “untar,” which is also what you do with cream on your skin, for example). Now I have a craving for bread untado with tomato… aaaaargh! ---
**Author:** ![frootle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a87d85/32.png) [@frootle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frootle)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/90 "2009-10-30T10:01:43Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m wondering what things, concepts, emotions, etc. that are expressed in other cultures & languages that the (American) English language has no words for. Fantastic topic.., I love this stuff. Just to be adverse I’m a posting couple that American English is GOOD for, as opposed to the mouthful of marbles, say, German will give you… (BTW.. I ripped these Directly from “Mother Tongue” by Bill Bryson, I take no credit but thought it would add to the post) Wirtschaststreuhandgesellschaft (a business trust company) Bundesbahnangestelltenwitwe (a widow of a federal railway employee) and.. Kriegsgefangenanents, (a law pertaining to war reparations) To stick to the point of Alt- American words, other countries suffering from a lack of description will take up english as a descriptor (again from Bill) The Germans talk about _ein Image Problem_ and _Das Cashflow_ The French going on a weekend break pause for _les refuelling stops_ Poles watch _telewizja_, Spaniards have a _flirt_ and the Japanese go on a _pikiniku_ Interestingly the English language is far and away the most comprehensive in terms of vocabulary/descriptors etc, and if my ol’ mate Bill is to be believed, has been that way for a long time.. (it’s a very good read :D, and no, He doesn’t pay me.. …) So, I guess that just makes it a bit tougher to find those words that English ‘has’ no words for.. I’ll be quiet now. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/91 "2009-10-30T10:04:47Z")
Some Spaniards ligamos, nos camelamos (that’s from caló, Spanish gypsy), pelamos la pava, nos hacemos ojitos, nos echamos miraditas… just pointing out that flirtear isn’t the only option Spanish has. ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/92 "2009-10-30T12:40:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **Giles** If anything, it’s the Brits that are lacking in this comparison, because they don’t have a single word for “small sweet baked good” or for “small salty baked good”, but would instead need to use a phrase like “sweet biscuit”. We _do_ have a word in British English for ‘small sweet baked good’- it’s ‘biscuit’. The existence of anomalies like water biscuits doesn’t change the fact that, in general, a biscuit is sweet. If a Brit says to you, “Would you like a biscuit?”, do not expect a cracker, unless the situation explicitly demands it- e.g. a laden cheeseboard has just appeared. Much more likely to be hoving into view are Rich Teas, Hob-Nobs, Custard Creams, or if you’re particularly lucky, Plain Chocolate Digestives. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/93 "2009-10-30T12:44:31Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > **flodnak** , would pålegg cover foie-gras or nutella, or not? Spanish relleno (filling, the same word used for the filling inside a thick coat or a pillow; the verb is “rellenar” and it’s different from “llenar,” which means “to make full,” for example a handbag) is reserved for things inside a sandwich that you can take back out. The ones that get irreversibly “stuck” on the bread are untos or untaduras but it’s more normal to use the verbal forms (the verb is “untar,” which is also what you do with cream on your skin, for example). > > Now I have a craving for bread untado with tomato… aaaaargh! It’s contagious! Now I know what I’m having for breakfast. “Untar” could be translated as “to spread”. On family relationships, doesn’t Hindi have different words for older/younger siblings and aunts/uncles? ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/94 "2009-10-30T12:48:29Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > I thought of the Danish word when I saw _gezellig_ also. The Danish word has a form similar to your word. It is spelled _hyggelig_. I lived with a Danish family for a while once and that is how the word was taught to me. Maybe the two are different parts of speech. It is a wonderful word! […] “Hygge” can be both a subject and a verb - as in: “this is hygge” (s) or “let’s hygge” (v). “Hyggelig” is the adjectival form: “a hyggelig evening”, and “hyggeligt” is adverbial. I am amazed that **Superfluous Parantheses’** definition of “gezellig” comes so close to the concept of “hygge”. “Hygge”, btw is clearly destinct from “gemytlig” - the Danish term for “gemütlich(keit)”. I suspect that most languages will have terms that can only be translated by some difficulty. For instance, the Sanskrit term “rasa” means “the essence/sap/flavour of a work of art” or something to that effect, but it is extremely difficult to capture in English without a lengthy explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/95 "2009-10-30T13:00:32Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > Brits have muffins too. Crumpets are a different beast. So are “English” muffins. They’re sort of flattened burger buns, only a bit more doughy, usually with a dusting of flour. Taste a bit like sourdough. They’re not muffins as you know them, and nobody knows why they’re called English muffins. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/96 "2009-10-30T13:06:35Z")
> [@bup](#): > > A German girl I dated told me that _gemuetlich_ is much, much more than ‘cozy’ - there’s just no good translation. “Convivial” is about as close as I can come. > [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > From the adjective ‘warm’ we have the noun ‘warmth’ And for the opposite adjective ‘cool’ we had the noun… actually we don’t have a corresponding noun. I wish we did. “Cool” could be a noun . . . “She stepped out into the cool of the evening.” > [@Scheidt-Hoch](#): > > It’s always been difficult to explain to Americans what ‘dodgy’ means. I don’t think there’s any exact equivalent. Fishy? Suspect? > [@panache45](#): > > We no longer have a word for what “gay” used to mean. It did NOT mean “happy.” It meant something like light and frivolous and carefree, but beyond what those words mean. Butterflies were gay. A lady’s hat with a big feather or flower in it was gay. Children skipping through a meadow were gay. > > We no longer have a word for that. You’re right. “Jaunty” isn’t bad. But “gay” is irreplaceable. > [@Rala](#): > > I wish we had an antonym for ‘perfect’. Not ‘imperfect’, which means ‘not perfect’, but something that means absolutely bad like perfect means absolutely good. Yes, that is difficult, because “perfect” is an absolute. “Ruined” or “false?” ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/97 "2009-10-30T13:20:43Z")
Time to haul out a couple of perennials: [Eskimos may not have thirty words for snow, but skiers do!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=282165) and _“Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets”_ ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/98 "2009-10-30T14:01:49Z")
> [@Martha\_Medea](#): > > On family relationships, doesn’t Hindi have different words for older/younger siblings and aunts/uncles? Yeah, it does. Bulgarian has different words for maternal aunt/uncle and paternal aunt/uncle. One is your lelya/chicho, and the other is your vuina/vuicho. I can never remember which is paternal and which is maternal; the default (which you use as a polite address to any middle aged man or woman) is lelya/chicho. ETA: If you’re interested in this sort of thing, I recommend the podcast [The World in Words](http://www.theworld.org/rss/twiw.xml). They have a regular segment on untranslatable words, it’s quite neat. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/99 "2009-10-30T14:11:47Z")
English is terrible at handling the concept of friendship. “Friend” can mean anything from someone you worked with few a weeks once to someone that you have known since childhood, saved your life twice, and has power over your estate should something bad happen. There is the concept of “best friend” but not much else between that and “acquaintance”. Most people don’t use the term “acquaintance” much anyway so anyone they semi-like and talk to is a friend in casual conversation which isn’t a good way to convey the nature of the relationship to others. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659/100 "2009-10-30T14:13:14Z")
[Hindi family relations](http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Hindi/Family_relations). It’s quite complex, but to me it actually makes more sense to have a separate term for “father’s younger brother’s wife” than having to wade through the whole family tree every time you need to refer to that person. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-english-has-no-word-for/515659.md?page=6)