Word Study: Word Origins

Word Study: Word Origins

Many English words come from other languages.

Read the words in the box. Then read about the words. Match each word with its description.

• Ok, I got it.

• What???

1. The name of this female ruler comes from the German word qino and later the English word cwene, which meant “woman.”

​ (a)  

• queen
• canoe
• chocolate
• tennis

​2. This word names a dessert or flavoring. It comes from tchocoatl, a word in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. This group lived in Mexico.

​ ​ (a)  

• chocolate
• canoe
• tennis
• queen

3. This word names a type of wooden boat. The word is taken from canaoua, a word from the Arawak, a Native American group on the island of Haiti. Columbus introduced the word to Spain, where it became the Spanish canoa.

​ ​ ​ (a)  

• canoe
• tennis
• queen
• chocolate

4. The name of this sport comes from the French word tenez, a form of the verb tenir. The meaning of tenir is “there you go.” Players would say “tenez” when they hit the ball during a game.

• canoe

• chocolate

• queen

• tennis