Foreign Words and Phrases Used in English

Foreign Words and Phrases Used in English

English has borrowed heavily from Latin, French, and a handful of other languages, and many of these borrowed words and phrases are now so thoroughly embedded in everyday and official English that they appear in newspapers, court judgments, and formal reports without any translation offered. SSC and RRB papers occasionally test the meaning of these phrases directly, and reading comprehension passages from newspapers frequently assume you already know them. This chapter covers more than forty-five of the most common foreign words and phrases used in English, with their language of origin, meaning, and an example sentence for each.

Phrase	Origin	Meaning	Example Sentence
Ad hoc	Latin	Formed or done for a particular purpose only, not planned in advance	The committee set up an ad hoc panel to investigate the complaint.
Ad infinitum	Latin	Going on forever, without end	The debate seemed to continue ad infinitum without any resolution.
Bona fide	Latin	Genuine, done in good faith	Only bona fide students are allowed to use the library.
Bon voyage	French	A wish for a pleasant journey	We waved goodbye and wished them bon voyage.
Carte blanche	French	Complete freedom or authority to act as one wishes	The manager was given carte blanche to redesign the office.
Caveat	Latin	A warning or caution about limitations	He agreed to the plan, with one important caveat.
Curriculum vitae (CV)	Latin	A summary of a person's education and work experience	Please attach your curriculum vitae with the application form.
De facto	Latin	In practice, though not officially established	English has become the de facto language of international business.
De jure	Latin	According to law, officially recognised	The de jure ruler had little real power in practice.
Déjà vu	French	The feeling of having already experienced the present situation before	Walking into the old school gave her a strong sense of déjà vu.
En route	French	On the way, during the journey	We stopped for lunch en route to the hill station.
Et cetera (etc.)	Latin	And other similar things, and so on	The kit includes pens, notebooks, rulers, et cetera.
Ex officio	Latin	By virtue of one's office or position	The secretary is an ex officio member of the finance committee.
Fait accompli	French	Something already done, presented as unchangeable	By the time the board met, the deal was already a fait accompli.
Faux pas	French	An embarrassing social mistake or blunder	Mentioning her divorce at the party was a serious faux pas.
In camera	Latin	In private, not in open court or public view	The sensitive case was heard in camera.
In situ	Latin	In its original or natural place	The fossil was studied in situ before being moved to the lab.
In toto	Latin	Completely, as a whole	The court rejected the appeal in toto.
Ipso facto	Latin	By that very fact, by the fact itself	Being the eldest, he was ipso facto next in line for the throne.
Laissez-faire	French	A policy of minimal government interference, especially in economic matters	The government followed a laissez-faire approach toward small businesses.
Modus operandi	Latin	A particular way or method of doing something, especially in crime	The detective recognised the thief's modus operandi from an earlier case.
Mea culpa	Latin	An acknowledgement of one's own mistake or fault	The CEO issued a public mea culpa after the data breach.
Née	French	Used to state a woman's birth or maiden name	Mrs Sharma, née Gupta, addressed the alumni meeting.
Par excellence	French	Better than all others of the same kind, the ultimate example	He is regarded as the storyteller par excellence of his generation.
Persona non grata	Latin	A person who is no longer welcome or accepted	The diplomat was declared persona non grata and asked to leave the country.
Prima facie	Latin	Based on first impression, accepted as correct until proven otherwise	The court found a prima facie case against the accused.
Pro bono	Latin	Done for the public good, without charging a fee (usually legal work)	The lawyer handled the case pro bono for the poor family.
Pro rata	Latin	In proportion, calculated according to a particular share	Employees who join mid-year receive a pro rata bonus.
Quid pro quo	Latin	A favour given in return for something, "this for that"	The deal was seen as a clear quid pro quo between the two firms.
Raison d'être	French	The most important reason or purpose for something's existence	Serving the community remains the organisation's raison d'être.
Rendezvous	French	A meeting, or to meet at an agreed time and place	They arranged a rendezvous near the old clock tower.
Sine qua non	Latin	An essential condition, without which something cannot happen	Discipline is a sine qua non for success in competitive exams.
Status quo	Latin	The existing state of affairs, the current situation	The new manager preferred to maintain the status quo for now.
Sub judice	Latin	Under judicial consideration, not yet decided by a court	The minister declined to comment as the matter was sub judice.
Vice versa	Latin	With the order reversed, the other way around	Employees may transfer to the Delhi branch and vice versa.
Vis-à-vis	French	In relation to, or in comparison with	The report examines India's growth vis-à-vis other emerging economies.
Bête noire	French	A person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads	Paperwork has always been the manager's bête noire.
Bon appétit	French	An expression wishing someone an enjoyable meal	The waiter smiled and said, "Bon appétit," as he served the dishes.
Coup d'état	French	A sudden, illegal seizure of power, often by the military	The country was thrown into turmoil after a coup d'état.
Déjà entendu	French	The feeling of having already heard something before	His speech gave listeners a strange sense of déjà entendu.
Entrepreneur	French	A person who organises and operates a business, taking on financial risk	She became a successful entrepreneur at a young age.
In lieu of	French	Instead of, in place of	He was given extra leave in lieu of overtime pay.
Non sequitur	Latin	A conclusion that does not logically follow from the argument or statement	His response was a complete non sequitur, unrelated to the question asked.
Per capita	Latin	For each person, calculated per head of population	The country's per capita income has grown steadily over the decade.
Per se	Latin	By or in itself, intrinsically	The idea is not bad per se, but the timing is wrong.
Verbatim	Latin	Word for word, in exactly the same words	The clerk copied the statement verbatim from the original document.
Vis major	Latin	An unavoidable event caused by natural forces, often used in law (also "force majeure")	The contract included a clause excusing delay caused by vis major.

More Foreign Words and Phrases

Phrase	Origin	Meaning	Example Sentence
Alma mater	Latin	The school, college or university one previously attended	He returned to his alma mater to deliver the convocation address.
Alter ego	Latin	A second, different side of one's personality; a close, trusted friend	Colleagues joked that the mild-mannered clerk had a fierce alter ego on the football field.
Bourgeois	French	Relating to the comfortable middle class, often used with a critical, negative tone	The critic dismissed the film as a shallow, bourgeois fantasy.
Cliché	French	An overused phrase or idea that has lost its original force through repetition	Calling the CEO a "visionary leader" has become a tired cliché.
Compos mentis	Latin	Of sound mind, mentally competent	The witness confirmed that the elderly man was fully compos mentis when he signed the will.
Corrigendum	Latin	An official correction to a printed document or notification	The recruitment board issued a corrigendum correcting the exam date.
Cul-de-sac	French	A street closed at one end; figuratively, a situation with no way forward	The talks reached a cul-de-sac with neither side willing to compromise.
Déjà vu (recap)	French	See table above.	See table above.
Doppelgänger	German	A person who looks exactly like another, unrelated person; a double	She was startled to see her doppelgänger in the crowd.
Genre	French	A category or type, especially of art, music, or literature	Science fiction is a genre he has always enjoyed reading.
Kindergarten	German	A school or class for young children, literally "children's garden"	She teaches kindergarten at the local primary school.
Magnum opus	Latin	A person's greatest work, especially in art or literature	Critics regard the novel as the author's magnum opus.
Modus vivendi	Latin	A practical arrangement or compromise allowing parties to coexist, despite differences	The two neighbouring countries reached a modus vivendi after years of tension.
Nouveau riche	French	A person who has recently become rich, often used with a critical tone about their taste or manners	Neighbours whispered that the family's lavish parties were pure nouveau riche display.
Nom de plume	French	A pen name used by a writer instead of their real name	The novelist published her early work under a nom de plume.
Pièce de résistance	French	The most outstanding or impressive item, especially the highlight of a meal or performance	The chocolate soufflé was the pièce de résistance of the dinner.
Protégé	French	A person guided and supported in their career by a more experienced person	The young violinist was once a protégé of the famous conductor.
Résumé	French	A summary of qualifications and experience, especially for a job application	Please email your résumé along with a cover letter.
Savoir-faire	French	The ability to act appropriately in social situations, social tact and skill	He handled the awkward question with impressive savoir-faire.
Terra firma	Latin	Solid, dry ground, as opposed to sea or air	The sailors were relieved to finally stand on terra firma.
Vendetta	Italian	A long-lasting bitter quarrel or feud, seeking revenge	The two families have carried on a vendetta for three generations.
Wanderlust	German	A strong desire to travel and explore the world	Her wanderlust took her to more than forty countries by the age of thirty.
Zeitgeist	German	The defining spirit, mood, or outlook of a particular period in history	The film captured the anxious zeitgeist of the post-war years.

Phrases Frequently Used in Newspapers and Official Writing

A smaller group of these phrases turns up constantly in the kind of newspaper editorials and government notifications that feed directly into reading comprehension and cloze test passages, so they deserve special attention beyond their dictionary meaning.

Sub judice appears constantly in news reports about ongoing court cases, where officials and public figures decline to comment on a matter that is still being decided by a court. Recognising this phrase instantly in a passage often signals that the surrounding sentences are about caution, restraint, or a refusal to comment.

Prima facie is a favourite in both legal reporting and general news, describing a case or piece of evidence that appears valid on first examination, even though it has not yet been fully proven. Distinguish it from "de facto," which describes an existing practical reality rather than an initial impression of evidence.

Status quo and laissez-faire both appear frequently in passages about government policy or organisational change — "status quo" describes simply not changing anything, while "laissez-faire" specifically describes a deliberate policy of minimal interference, most often in an economic context.

Quid pro quo has taken on a slightly negative shade in modern usage, often implying an improper or ethically questionable exchange of favours, even though its literal Latin meaning is neutral ("something for something"). Exam passages about corruption, political favours, or business scandals often use this phrase deliberately for its critical undertone.

Word Origin Groups Worth Knowing

Most of the foreign phrases tested in Indian exams come from Latin and French, for the historical reason that Latin was the language of law, science and the church across Europe for centuries, while French heavily influenced English vocabulary after the Norman Conquest and later through diplomacy, fashion, and cuisine. A smaller but still significant group comes from German, largely concentrated around abstract or philosophical ideas — "zeitgeist," "wanderlust," and "doppelgänger" are good examples, all describing concepts that English apparently found no single native word compact enough to express. Knowing the origin of a phrase does not change its meaning for exam purposes, but it does help you group similar phrases together during revision, and it explains why so many of them keep unusual spellings or accent marks rather than being fully anglicised.

Legal and administrative writing draws overwhelmingly on Latin — "prima facie," "sub judice," "ex officio," "in camera," "de facto," "de jure," and "pro rata" are all standard vocabulary in Indian court judgments, government notifications, and recruitment circulars. If your exam includes passages drawn from official notices or legal news, treat this cluster as a small, closely related family worth over-preparing, since one or two of them tend to appear in every paper that includes a government or judiciary-themed passage.

Social and cultural commentary, by contrast, leans more heavily on French borrowings — "faux pas," "cliché," "nouveau riche," "bourgeois," and "savoir-faire" all carry a slightly judgmental or evaluative tone when used in English, describing manners, taste, or social standing. Recognising this tonal pattern helps with reading comprehension passages that discuss class, culture, or etiquette, since the choice of a French loanword often signals the author's attitude toward the subject even before you reach the surrounding sentence.

Distinguishing Similar-Sounding Phrases

Phrase Pair	How They Differ
De facto / De jure	"De facto" describes what exists in practice; "de jure" describes what is true according to law, even if the practical reality differs.
Ad hoc / Ad infinitum	"Ad hoc" means formed for one specific, limited purpose; "ad infinitum" means continuing endlessly, without any limit.
In toto / In situ	"In toto" means completely, as a whole; "in situ" means in the original, natural place, without being moved.
Per capita / Per se	"Per capita" means calculated per person or head of population; "per se" means by or in itself, considered alone.
Bona fide / Fait accompli	"Bona fide" describes something genuine, done in good faith; "fait accompli" describes something already completed and presented as unchangeable, regardless of good faith.
Alma mater / Alter ego	"Alma mater" refers to one's former school or college; "alter ego" refers to a hidden or contrasting side of one's own personality, or a very close friend.
Modus operandi / Modus vivendi	"Modus operandi" describes a characteristic method of operating, often used for criminal behaviour; "modus vivendi" describes a practical compromise that allows two opposing sides to coexist.
Résumé / Nom de plume	"Résumé" is a summary of one's professional qualifications; "nom de plume" is a pen name used by an author instead of their real name. Both are French borrowings but serve entirely different purposes.
Vis major / Vis-à-vis	"Vis major" refers to an unavoidable event caused by natural forces (used in legal and insurance contexts); "vis-à-vis" simply means "in relation to" or "compared with," with no legal weight at all.

Phrases Worth Using Carefully in Formal Writing

A handful of these phrases are worth a note of caution rather than blanket encouragement to use them freely. "Et cetera" is best reserved for informal or semi-formal lists, since precise official writing generally prefers a complete, specific list over a vague "and so on." "Vice versa" should only be used when the reversed statement is genuinely and obviously implied by the first — writers sometimes tack it on as a lazy shortcut when the reversed meaning is not actually clear from context, which weakens rather than strengthens the sentence. "Per se," similarly, is often overused as filler in spoken English; in careful writing it should appear only when you are specifically isolating one quality of something from its surrounding context, as in "the idea is not wrong per se, but poorly timed."

A Short Glossary Recap by Theme

For quick last-minute revision, it helps to recall these phrases in thematic clusters rather than alphabetically. Legal and procedural: sub judice, prima facie, ex officio, in camera, de facto, de jure, vis major. Business and negotiation: quid pro quo, status quo, carte blanche, fait accompli, modus vivendi, pro rata. Everyday social use: bona fide, faux pas, déjà vu, rendezvous, bon voyage, alma mater. Writing and admissions: curriculum vitae, résumé, nom de plume, magnum opus, corrigendum. Keeping these thematic clusters in mind while revising should make recall far faster during the exam than trying to remember the entire list as one continuous block.

How These Are Tested

Exam questions on foreign phrases usually ask for the meaning directly, in the same "which of the following means" format used for idioms, or they appear embedded inside a formal-register cloze passage about law, government, or business, where recognising the phrase quickly helps you understand the tone of the whole sentence. Because most of these phrases come from Latin and French, do not expect them to follow standard English spelling or pronunciation rules — accent marks such as the one in "déjà vu" or "vis-à-vis" are sometimes dropped in exam papers, but the words themselves should still be recognised in their plain form. A good habit is to notice which of these phrases you already half-recognise from newspaper reading, and prioritise the unfamiliar ones for active memorisation rather than spending equal time on all of them. Reading the editorial and opinion pages of a serious English newspaper for even ten minutes a day, specifically hunting for italicised or unfamiliar foreign phrases, is one of the most efficient ways to expand this list naturally beyond what any single chapter can cover, since new phrases surface in current-affairs writing far more often than in casual conversation.

Quick Test Yourself

1. What does "ad hoc" mean?
   Answer: Formed or done for one particular purpose, not planned in advance.
2. What is the meaning of "bona fide"?
   Answer: Genuine, done in good faith.
3. Explain the difference between "de facto" and "de jure."
   Answer: "De facto" means existing in practice; "de jure" means existing according to law, whether or not it reflects practical reality.
4. What does "status quo" mean?
   Answer: The existing state of affairs, the current situation as it stands.
5. What is a "faux pas"?
   Answer: An embarrassing social mistake or blunder.
6. What does "sub judice" mean?
   Answer: A matter currently under judicial consideration, not yet decided by a court.
7. Explain "quid pro quo."
   Answer: A favour given in exchange for something else, "this for that," often implying an improper exchange.
8. What does "vis-à-vis" mean?
   Answer: In relation to, or in comparison with.
9. What is the meaning of "sine qua non"?
   Answer: An essential condition without which something cannot happen.
10. What does "pro bono" mean?
    Answer: Work, especially legal work, done for the public good without charging a fee.

With this chapter, the book's coverage of vocabulary-adjacent trap areas — idioms, confused words, misspellings, and foreign phrases — is complete. Chapters 21 onward return to more structured, list-based vocabulary categories, beginning with collective nouns, that build directly on the word-recognition skills strengthened across Chapters 14 to 20. Keep revisiting these four chapters periodically through your preparation, since idioms, confused words, misspellings, and foreign phrases are exactly the kind of high-frequency, low-effort marks that separate a strong score from an average one on exam day.