‘BOURGEOIS’
While today ‘bourgeois’ means a self-made, wealthy, middle-class person, in the old days it emerged from the French word ‘burgeis’, meaning ‘townsperson’. Karl Marx popularised the term, and there is a popular misconception he used the word to negatively label the upper classes- NOT SO!
However, the myth persists. Even though Marx only ever used the term to describe and not decry, ‘bourgeois’ has taken on a miserable meaning, meaning disgustingly rich or materialistic.
‘I hate that dirty bourgeois principal.’
‘BUNGALOW’
Originating with the Bengali ‘bungalow’, this term came about in the Western world as Britain colonised India (sorry about that!). In India, a ‘bungalow’ was a thatched one-story house. In the 1900s, the British brought this style of home back to England, where it became popular along coastlines and especially with old folks, who are notoriously afraid of stairs.
‘How’d Bert die?’
‘Fell down the stairs.’
‘What? But he lives in a bungalow!’
‘CAMARADERIE’
As the rather unnecessarily flamboyant ‘ie’ ending suggests, this word is French. This is one of those rare finds where the word hasn’t actually changed meaning that much since crossing the language barrier. In French, it meant ‘comradeship’, and in English it means ‘comradeship’. Simple. Easy. Fun.
‘There was a special camaraderie amongst the class after they deposed that dirty bourgeois principal.’
‘CHAGRIN’
The origins of this one are disputed amongst nerds like me- most likely it was nicked from the German ‘grami’ (meaning sorrow), and turned into the English ‘shagreen’ (meaning anxiety or sadness). Nowadays it means disappointment and slight irritation, especially when you look up the origin for it.
‘The dirty bourgeois principal couldn’t contain his chagrin after being deposed.’
‘CHIC’
While the word has deeply French associations, it’s oldest origin point is thought to be the German ‘schick’, which means fitness and elegance. The French probably nicked it before the English, but when we saw it on them we just had to have it. Nowadays the meaning is much the same- ‘chic’ describes anything fashionable, elegant, trendy, etc.
‘That blog post is so chic it deserves to go viral.’
LitLangIsLife 