What is a loanword?

• A. A word formed by removing an affix
• B. A word-for-word translation
• C. A word borrowed from another language
• D. A word broadened in meaning

Answer: (C)

A loanword is a word borrowed from another language and adopted into the language you’re studying. It often enters with its original meaning and a form that’s close to the source, though it may be adapted to fit the borrowing language’s sounds or spelling. For example, sushi comes from Japanese, café from French, and kindergarten from German. These words travel across languages because speakers encounter new concepts or things and adopt the existing terms rather than translating them.

If a word is formed by removing an affix, that’s a word-building process called back-formation, not borrowing. A word-for-word translation is a literal translation of a phrase or concept into the target language (a calque), rather than a single borrowed term. A word broadened in meaning describes semantic widening, where a word’s sense expands.