Foreign Words and Phrases

Some French, Latin, and Greek words and terms have become part of our vocabulary.

respondez sil vous plait (RSVP) Please respond

Du Jour (duh zhoor) Of the moment

Cum Laude (kŏŏm lou'dē,) With honor

Verbatim ( ver-bey-tim) Word for word

Avant-garde (uh-vahnt-gahrd) New and unusual

Carte Blanche ( kahrt blanch, blahnch) License

Tabula Rasa ( tab-yuh-luh rah-suh) Empty slate

Carpe Diem ( kahr-pe dee-em) Seize the day

Bona Fide ( boh-nuh fahyd) Genuine

id est (i.e.) ( id est ) That is

Vox Populi ( voks pop-yuh-lahy ) Voice of the people

Déjà Vu ( dey-zhah voo ) A feeling of having experienced something previously

Bon Voyage ( bon voi-ahzh ) Have a good trip

Femme Fatale ( fem fuh-tal ) Disastrous woman

E Pluribus unum ( e ploo-ri-boos oo-noom ) One out of many (U.S. motto)

Status quo (… kwoh ) Existing state

Caveat Emptor ( kav-ee-aht emp-tawr ) Buyer beware

Hoi Polloi ( hoi puh-loi ) The ordinary people

Tempus fugit ( tem-poos foo-git ) Time flies

Savoir Faire ( sav-wahr-fair ) Savvy, courtesy

Enfant Terrible ( ahn-fahn te-ree-bluh ) Terrible child

Faux Pas ( foh pah ) A social blunder

Alma Mater ( ahl-muh mah-ter ) School one attended

Esprit de Corps ( e-spree duh kawr ) Fellowship, camaraderie

Prima Donna ( pree-muh don-uh ) 1. Chief female operatic singer 2. Self-important, difficult person

Joie de Vivre ( zhwaduh vee-vruh ) Love of life

Alpha and Omega Beginning and end

Ad Nauseam ( ad naw-zee-uhm ) To the extreme degree

C’est la Vie ( se la vee ) That’s life

Non Sequitur ( non sek-wi-ter ) It does not follow

Terra Firma (… fur-muh ) Earth