Wanderwort

noun

Wan·der·wort ˈwän-dər-ˌwȯrt

ˈvän-dər-ˌvȯrt

plural Wanderwörter ˈwän-dər-ˌwər-tər

ˈvän-dər-ˌvœr-tər

or Wanderworts

linguistics

: a word borrowed from one language to another across a broad geographical area often as a result of trade or adoption of newly introduced items or cultural practices

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German, from wander- (derivative of wandern "to wander, roam," going back to Middle High German) + Wort "word," going back to Old High German — more at wander, word entry 1

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Wanderwort was in 1980

See more words from the same year