# English words that pack lots of meaning but other languages don't have a word for it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726 "2020-01-20T22:35:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/101 "2020-01-23T07:15:10Z")
“They say” that a certain language has a dozen-or-so words for “yam” and another language has a dozen-or-so words for “snow”, but English doesn’t have any similar situations. This is sometimes debunked, and IIRC even **Cecil** wrote an article debunking it. But in a culture where raising yams is an integral thing, they may well have separate words for many variations on “yam” that may require additional words in English. Maybe they have a single word for “newly sprouted yam seedling” and maybe they have a single word for “three-week old yam plant that is just growing its first non-cotyledon leaves” and maybe they have a word for “yam plant that is in bloom” and so forth. One can imagine that in the far snow-bound North, the Inuits might have one word for “new fallen snow” and a word for “older dirtier snow” and a word for “wet watery snow” and so forth. Wait – don’t we have at least some of these words in English too – like “slush” or, for skiers, “powder”, etc. Okay, what about cultures where horses were never very prominent. (This seems to be the cases with Old Testament era Israel.) How many words do they have for “horse”? ( **Alessan** , are you there?) In English, we have “foal”, “colt”, “filly”, “stallion”, “mare”, and “gelding”. Plus many words for specific breeds. Plus, in the horse industry, many words for specific color patterns that can be used as adjectives + “horse” or as stand-alone nouns: bay, palomino, pinto, overo, tobiano, etc. Other languages might not have all these specific words for different kinds of horses, and it may requires at least an adjective if not a whole phrase to say “a young male horse four or less years old” ( = “colt” in English), or “adult female horse” ( = “mare” in English). ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/102 "2020-01-23T07:42:55Z")
Oh, and a couple somewhat related words that are both often hard to translate: **schtick** (usually the closest translation is just “style”) and **gimmick** ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/103 "2020-01-23T08:40:01Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Okay, what about cultures where horses were never very prominent. (This seems to be the cases with Old Testament era Israel.) How many words do they have for “horse”? ( **Alessan** , are you there?) Hebrew is interesting because with many nouns have both a male and female form - this is most common with professions, but is also often used with animals. Thus, we have “male horse” (_Suss_), “mare” (_Sussa_), “male foal/colt” (_Siyach_) and “female foal/filly” (_Siyacha_). Terms like “stallion” or “gelding” are usually just translated as “breeding horse” and “castrated horse”. (Side note: generations of Israeli children grow up thinking the writer of _The Cat in the Hat_ was called “Doctor Horse”.) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/104 "2020-01-23T11:07:22Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Oh, and a couple somewhat related words that are both often hard to translate: **schtick** It translates into Yiddish just fine :dubious: . ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/105 "2020-01-23T12:17:53Z")
Still off topic, but in relation to horses mentioned upthread, there’s walk, trot, canter and gallop. Don’t know if there are more. At least the last two refer to horses specifically. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/106 "2020-01-23T13:59:54Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Yep. > It’s strange how English-speakers often seem to assume that homophones (different words with the same pronunciation) . . . In general, most of these things that people think are special about English (or another language) are really not. Everyone has some pet thing they’ve personally noticed or learned about a language, and because it’s surprising to them, they assume that it must be unique. Usually in broader linguistic terms, though, it’s not. The fact that a particular term might require an extended explanation is usually because of cultural context, and happens with all cultures, because each culture is unique. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the language itself is somehow an exception. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/107 "2020-01-23T14:39:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > It translates into Yiddish just fine :dubious: . I didn’t interpret the OP as meaning _no_ other language has a word for some given word in English, because if we do that, it’s gonna be real hard to find any examples, given that English is something of a hodge podge of different languages. (and any words invented in English _recently_ will join at least some other languages as loan words) So yes, I’m aware that schtick is yiddish (the clue is in the spelling, oy) but regardless it’s a word that we often use in English that can be hard to translate into many languages. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/108 "2020-01-23T14:55:54Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > So yes, I’m aware that schtick is yiddish (the clue is in the spelling, oy) but regardless it’s a word that we often use in English that can be hard to translate into many languages. It translates into Afrikaans just fine (as _foefie_, basically snake-oil patter or comedy persona). I don’t know if there’s a Dutch equivalent. And beyond that, there’s little difference between schtick in comedy and the older\* Commedia del’Arte\* concepts of _lazzi_ and _concetti_. But my point was it’s ridiculous to say something doesn’t translate from English when the word, and concept, isn’t even English in the first place. Even the Yiddish comes from German. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/109 "2020-01-23T16:33:24Z")
But my point is where do we draw the line? What etymology is required for a word to be true scotsman english? On the equivalent words you list, can they also be used to describe a person’s particular mannerism (often in a negative sense), not just a performance? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/110 "2020-01-23T17:33:37Z")
Schtick = routine. But Yiddish is always better when speaking English, naturally. Song and dance Patter ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/111 "2020-01-23T18:46:19Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But my point is where do we draw the line? What etymology is required for a word to be true scotsman english? I’d say it has to not just be the same word in the exact same sense as used in the parent language. Yes, \*schtick \*is adopted as an English word. _But_ it is not a word to use as an example of “\*English \*words that [something cool]” because it’s a Yiddish word before it’s an English word. Compare with _gerrymander_, an American English coining. > [@](#): > > On the equivalent words you list, can they also be used to describe a person’s particular mannerism (often in a negative sense), not just a performance? The Afrikaans word, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![squidfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@squidfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squidfood)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/112 "2020-01-23T19:10:00Z")
My British friends and relatives really liked the concept of “Boondoggle” when I explained it to them - they couldn’t think of an equivalent on their side. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/113 "2020-01-23T20:03:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’d say it has to not just be the same word in the exact same sense as used in the parent language. Yes, \*schtick \*is adopted as an English word. _But_ it is not a word to use as an example of “\*English \*words that [something cool]” because it’s a Yiddish word before it’s an English word. Fine. And I would draw the line elsewhere, since English is inherently a language that has borrowed from a lot from other languages – we would have to write off perhaps the majority of modern english as not being real english. But if it matters that much, let’s drop (the) schtick. I’ve given plenty of other examples in this thread. Geez. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/114 "2020-01-23T21:35:13Z")
Well, if you want a word that is unique to English and slightly difficult to capture completely in another language, “discombobulate” might be a candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/115 "2020-01-23T23:50:41Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Still off topic, but in relation to horses mentioned upthread, there’s walk, trot, canter and gallop. Don’t know if there are more. At least the last two refer to horses specifically. Graham Kerr was a horse? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/116 "2020-01-24T01:14:44Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > So yes, I’m aware that schtick is yiddish (the clue is in the spelling, oy) but regardless it’s a word that we often use in English that can be hard to translate into many languages. Whatever the clue is, it is not in the spelling, oy. Have you seen printed Yiddish? Or am I betraying my ignorance here, and there really is a way to tell from the spelling? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/117 "2020-01-24T01:26:44Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Whatever the clue is, it is not in the spelling, oy. Have you seen printed Yiddish? Or am I betraying my ignorance here, and there really is a way to tell from the spelling? “Scht” is a letter combination that suggests Yiddish For that matter “Sch\” suggests Yiddish, a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/118 "2020-01-24T03:05:05Z")
I read somewhere that ‘fun’ is an English word that’s hard to find an equivalent of in other languages. It was a lot of fun. _C’était très amusant._ But “it was very amusing” is hardly the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/119 "2020-01-24T07:17:52Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > I read somewhere that ‘fun’ is an English word that’s hard to find an equivalent of in other languages. > > It was a lot of fun. _C’était très amusant._ But “it was very amusing” is hardly the same thing. But _amusant_ isn’t just “amusing” in the English sense. It’s also “fun” _in the English sense_ to a Frenchman. You can’t say the French don’t have a word for fun, because they would get the same sense from _amusant_ as you’d get from fun (Some might be more inclined to say _drôle_, say, if talking about a joke ). And anyway, there’s _definitely_ an Afrikaans word for fun that is 100% the same in meaning - _pret_. It’s the same in Dutch, AFAIK, and is etymologically cognate to the prat- in _pratfall_ and the insulting term _prat_ (and is also related to _pretty_). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2020, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726/120 "2020-01-24T09:12:29Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Still off topic, but in relation to horses mentioned upthread, there’s walk, trot, canter and gallop. Don’t know if there are more. At least the last two refer to horses specifically. No, I think this is exactly on-topic, and a real example of what OP is asking for. English may have separate words for walk, trot, canter, and gallop (and for at least one breed, termino) and maybe _some_ other languages have separate words for those things too. But some language may not have words for all those things. To translate “canter” into some other language may require a multi-word descriptive phrase. Just like translating “stallion” into Hebrew requires the phrase “breeding (male) horse”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-words-that-pack-lots-of-meaning-but-other-languages-dont-have-a-word-for-it/846726.md?page=7)