Which word is a lexical borrowing from French?

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Prepare for the AQA A-level English Language Test. Study with interactive quizzes on language change, complete with detailed explanations. Get ahead in your exam preparation today!

Multiple Choice

Which word is a lexical borrowing from French?

Explanation:
When English borrows from French, you often see classic shifts in everyday vocabulary, especially around cuisine. Beef is a textbook example: the term for the meat comes from the French boeuf, while the word for the animal stays native English (cow). That clear switch—an animal name of Germanic origin paired with a meat term borrowed from French—shows a direct French loanword in a familiar food context. The other options also have French connections in their histories, but beef most cleanly illustrates a direct, domain-specific borrowing that became the standard English word for the edible product.

When English borrows from French, you often see classic shifts in everyday vocabulary, especially around cuisine. Beef is a textbook example: the term for the meat comes from the French boeuf, while the word for the animal stays native English (cow). That clear switch—an animal name of Germanic origin paired with a meat term borrowed from French—shows a direct French loanword in a familiar food context. The other options also have French connections in their histories, but beef most cleanly illustrates a direct, domain-specific borrowing that became the standard English word for the edible product.

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