How many of these are familiar?

March 28, 2005, 07:07

As a native speaker of english, which of these words do you immediately understand without recourse to a dictionary? Which would you consider to be common words?

A poster on another site has asked this in connection with her university thesis. But that site is used by a more specialized audience. Answers here may be helpful to her and interesting to us.

Yes, I know, 247 words seems a nuisance at first. But all you have to do is cut-and-paste the list and then delete the terms that are unfamiliar.

Abada / agila / ainhum / alastrim / albacore / albino / alcatras / aldea / alferes / alforge / amah / ambreada / angico / anhima / ani / anil / apricot / areca / assagai / assimilado / auto-da-fè / ayah / babassu / banana / bandore / banian / barca-longa / batata / beach-la-mar / becuiba / betel / binnacle / boccaro / bolas / bossa nova / brab / brazil / braziletto / breeze / brinjal / brocade / buffalo / bual / bulse / caboceer / caboclo / campoo / candiru / cantiga / capitao / carajura / carambola / carbonado / carioca / carnauba / carrapato / carro / cascalho / caste / cate / cavally / cobra de capello / cocoa / commando / comprador / conto / copaiba / copra / coquilla / corposant / cortes / corvina / covid / cow-tree / crusado / cruzeiro / cuspidor / dodo / eagle-wood / elephanta / emu / escrivan / escudo / estalagem / estrada / fado / fagong / farinha / favela / fazenda / fazendeiro / feijao / feijoada / fetisheer / fidalgo / fig-dote / figo / flamingo / friagem / gallivat / garimpeiro / geropiga / goglet / gram / grandee / grouper / guinea / igarape / imbauba / imbuya / indio / indulto / infant / infanta / infante / ipecacuana / jacana / jacare / jack / jacu / jacutinga / jangada / joss / junta / jupati / kartel / killat / kittisol / lambada / lanchara / lascarine / leste / levada / lingoa geral / lorcha / louro / lundum / macaco / macaw / machila / macuba / madeira / maloca / mandarin / mango / maraca / margosa / marmalade / marmala water / marmelos / mateus / maxixe / mestizo / metical / milly / milreis / moidore / molasses / mongoose / moory / montaria / moray / mordisheen / mosquito / mulatto / mussurana / mustaiba / naseberry / negro / norteamericano / oiticica / olio / olla / paca / pagoda / palankeen / palaver / panyar / pardao / pareira / pataca / pattamar / paulista / pawpaw / peon / peroba / personalismo / piassava / piccaninny / pimento / pinda / pinga / pintado / piranha / pirarucù / pium / pomfret / porgo / porto / portugal / portuguese / pousada / praia / pupunha / quinta / rapadura / ratanhia / refusado / reis / resgat / retornado / rowball / sable / samba / sargasso / saudade / scrivello / selva / senhor / senhora / seraphin / sergelim / seringueiro / serra / serradilla / sertao / sindacato / sippa / sucupira / sumack / tael / talapoin / tamandua / tanga / tapioca / teak / terra roxa / topass / tuberon / varella / varzea / verdelho / vinho / vintem / vizrey / zamorin / zerumbet

March 28, 2005, 07:22

BobHale

albino / apricot / assagai / auto-da-fè / banana / binnacle bolas / bossa nova / brazil / breeze / buffalo / caste / cocoa / commando / copra / dodo / emu / flamingo / gram / grandee / grouper / guinea / infant / infanta / jack / joss / junta / lambada / macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / marmalade / mestizo / molasses / mongoose / moray /mosquito / mulatto / negro / pagoda / palankeen / palaver / pawpaw / peon / piccaninny / pimento / piranha / portugal / portuguese / sable / samba / sargasso / seraphin / tapioca / teak /

Those are the ones
where I'm 100% certain of one meaning without a dictionary. Others I couldtake a good stab at (to probably 99.99 % in the case of words like norteamericano but I've never actually seen it before).

Common ones in my judgment would be.
Seems an odd list and an odder survey to me but what the hell it's only two minutes.

albino / apricot / assagai / banana / brazil / breeze / buffalo / caste / cocoa / commando / dodo / emu / flamingo / gram / grandee / grouper / guinea / infant / jack / joss / junta / lambada / macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / marmalade / molasses / mongoose / moray /mosquito / negro / pagoda / palaver / pawpaw / pimento / piranha / portugal / portuguese / sable / samba / sargasso / tapioca / teak /

March 28, 2005, 07:27

shufitz

My own personal answer:

albacore / albino / amah / anil / apricot / auto-da-fè / banana / bossa nova / brazil / breeze / brocade / buffalo / caste / cate / cocoa / commando / corposant / cuspidor / dodo / emu / escudo / figo / flamingo / gram / grandee / grouper / guinea / infant / infanta / infante / joss / junta / lambada / macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / marmalade / mestizo / molasses / mongoose / moray / mosquito / mulatto / negro / norteamericano / olio / pagoda / palaver / pawpaw / peon / piccaninny / pimento / piranha / portugal / portuguese / sable / samba / tapioca / teak /

March 28, 2005, 08:15

Caterwauller

quote:
albacore / albino / alcatras / apricot / banana / bossa nova / brazil / braziletto / breeze / brocade / buffalo / caste / cocoa / commando / cuspidor / dodo / emu / estrada / fado / farinha /flamingo / gallivat /gram / grandee / grouper / guinea /infant /jack /macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / margosa / marmalade / molasses / mongoose / mosquito / mulatto / negro / pagoda / palaver / pawpaw / piccaninny / pimento / piranha / porto / portugal / portuguese / refusado / sable / samba / senhor / senhora / seraphin / sumack / tamandua / tapioca / teak /

There! I'm sorry to say I don't know more, and chances are some of the definitions I think I know are incorrect . . . but this is my answer.

March 28, 2005, 10:42

Cat

albino / apricot / banana / betel / bolas / bossa nova / brazil / breeze / brocade / buffalo / cantiga / carnauba / caste / cocoa / commando / dodo / emu / escrivan / escudo / flamingo / gram / guinea / infant / infanta / ipecacuana / jack / joss / junta / lambada / macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / marmalade / molasses / mongoose / moray / mosquito / mulatto / negro / pagoda / palaver / pawpaw / pimento / piranha / porto / portugal / portuguese / ratanhia / sable / samba / sargasso / seraphin / tapioca / teak /

These are mine. I'm embarrassed at not definitely knowing any more, but I was very strict with myself. Like Bob, I've only included ones I could easily give a definition of without having to look it up (that's not to say I'd be right each time). There were a few words I'm familiar with but couldn't for the life of me remember what they meant even though I've obviously known at some point (I've since looked them up to cure my ignorance

). I didn't include those, although maybe I should have as it's my memory rather than my recognition that's at fault here.

There were quite a few I could take an educated guess at, but as I've never seen them (or in some cases their spelling) before, I didn't count them either.

I know what tanga means in the lingerie sense, but I don't think that's what they're after somehow!

And my toothpaste contains ratanhia, in case you were wondering

The ones I think are common are in black, the less common ones are highlighted in blue (the other way round would take too long!)

albino / apricot / banana / betel / bolas / bossa nova / brazil / breeze / brocade / buffalo / cantiga / carnauba / caste / cocoa / commando / dodo / emu / escrivan / escudo / flamingo / gram / guinea / infant / infanta / ipecacuana / jack / joss / junta / lambada / macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / marmalade / molasses / mongoose / moray / mosquito / mulatto / negro / pagoda / palaver / pawpaw / pimento / piranha / porto / portugal / portuguese / ratanhia / sable / samba / sargasso / seraphin / tapioca / teak /

March 28, 2005, 13:26

arnie

OK, here goes. These are ones I recognise - ones I've seen before and I think I could give a definition without recourse to a dictionary. As Bob, there are several at the meaning of which I could probably hazard a good guess.

alastrim / albacore / albino / amah / ani / anil / apricot / assagai / auto-da-fè / ayah /banana / betel / binnacle / bolas / brazil / breeze / brocade / buffalo / / carioca / caste / cocoa / commando / conto / copra / corposant / cruzeiro / cuspidor / dodo / emu / escudo / estrada / fado / farinha / flamingo / gram / grandee / grouper / guinea / infant / infanta / infante / ipecacuana / jacare / jack / joss / junta / lambada / macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / marmalade / mestizo / molasses / mongoose / moray / mosquito / mulatto / negro / pagoda / palankeen / palaver / pawpaw / peon / piccaninny / pimento / piranha / portugal / portuguese / reis / sable / samba / sargasso / senhor / senhora / seraphin / tapioca / teak / vinho /

Of those, I'd say the following could be described as fairly common in English (although Portuguese speakers would no doubt add a few more>

albino / apricot / banana / betel / binnacle / bolas / bossa nova / brazil / breeze / brocade / buffalo / caste / cocoa / commando / cruzeiro / cuspidor / dodo / emu / escudo / flamingo / gram / grandee / grouper / guinea / infant / jack / joss / junta / lambada / macaw / madeira / mandarin / mango / maraca / marmalade / molasses / mongoose / moray / mosquito / mulatto / negro / pagoda / palaver / pawpaw / peon / piccaninny / pimento / piranha / portugal / portuguese / sable / samba / sargasso / senhor / senhora / tapioca / teak / vinho

Out of curiosity, is the connection here Portuguese?

March 28, 2005, 14:08

jerry thomas

Although I confess that I am a native speaker of English, I am not a monoglot.

In my seven decades of wordcraft I have acquired a knowledge of Spanish and I have studied French, Russian, and German. Informally I have learned a smattering of Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and some other languages.

I fear that my answer to this quiz would skew the result, so I'm passing on this one.

Thanks anyway. Muito obrigado,

~~~ jerry

March 28, 2005, 14:24

Following is my list of words that I know the definition for:

quote:
Abada / ainhum / alastrim / albacore / albino / alcatras / aldea / alferes / alforge / amah / ambreada / angico / anhima / ani / anil / apricot / areca / assagai / assimilado / auto-da-fè / ayah / babassu / banana / bandore / banian / barca-longa / batata / beach-la-mar / betel / binnacle / boccaro / bolas / bossa nova / brab / brazil / braziletto / breeze / brinjal / brocade / buffalo / bual / bulse / caboceer / caboclo / campoo / candiru / cantiga / capitao / carajura / carambola / carbonado / carioca / carnauba / carrapato / carro / cascalho / caste / cate / cavally / cobra de capello / cocoa / commando / comprador / conto / copaiba / copra / coquilla / corposant / cortes / corvina / covid / cow-tree / crusado / cruzeiro / cuspidor / dodo / eagle-wood / elephanta / emu / escrivan / escudo / estalagem / estrada / fado / fagong / farinha / favela / fazenda / fazendeiro / feijao / feijoada / fetisheer / fidalgo / figo / flamingo / friagem / gallivat / goglet / gram / grandee / grouper / guinea / igarape / imbauba / imbuya / indio / indulto / infant / infanta / infante / ipecacuana / jacana / jacare / jack / jacu / jacutinga / jangada / joss / junta / jupati / kartel / killat / kittisol / lambada / lanchara / lascarine / leste / levada / lingoa geral / lorcha / louro / lundum / macaco / macaw / machila / macuba / madeira / maloca / mandarin / mango / maraca / margosa / marmalade / marmala water / marmelos / mateus / maxixe / mestizo / metical / milly / milreis / moidore / molasses / mongoose / moory / montaria / moray / mordisheen / mosquito / mulatto / mussurana / mustaiba / naseberry / negro / norteamericano / olio / olla / paca / pagoda / palankeen / palaver / panyar / pardao / pareira / pataca / pattamar / paulista / pawpaw / peon / peroba / personalismo / piassava / piccaninny / pimento / pinda / pinga / pintado / piranha / pirarucù / pium / pomfret / porgo / porto / portugal / portuguese / pousada / praia / pupunha / quinta / rapadura / ratanhia / refusado / reis / resgat / retornado / rowball / sable / samba / sargasso / saudade / scrivello / selva / senhor / senhora / seraphin / sergelim / serra / serradilla / sertao / sindacato / sippa / sucupira / sumack / tael / talapoin / tamandua / tanga / tapioca / teak / terra roxa / topass / tuberon / varella / verdelho / vinho / vintem / vizrey / zamorin

March 29, 2005, 02:44

Cat

quote:
Out of curiosity, is the connection here Portuguese?

I had a similar inkling! Were it not for the spelling in some of them (vinho, farinha, senhor and senhora spring immediately to mind), I'd have put them in. As I didn't recognise them in that particular form though, I didn't - I was being very strict...

March 29, 2005, 04:05

Richard English

I recognise immediately as English, anglised or well-known foreign words:

albino; apricot; assagai; aya; banana; betel; binnacle; bolas; bossa nova; brazil; breeze; brocade; buffalo; cocoa; commando; copra; cruzeiro; cuspidor; dodo; emu; escudo; estalagem; fado; flamingo; gram; grandee; guinea; infant; infanta; ipecacuana; joss; junta; lambada; macaw; madeira; mandarin; mango; maraca; marmalade; mateus; mestizo; molasses; mongoose; moray; mosquito; mulatto; negro; pagoda; pawpaw; peon; piccaninny; pimento; piranha; portugal; portuguese; pousada; praia; quinta; sable; samba; sargasso; senhor; senhora; seraphin; tapioca; teak; vinho.

Many of the others I recognise as foreign words (and Portuguese/ Brazilian words at that). Certain others (estalagem; pousada; praia) are Portuguese words that are commonly used in the travel business.