This Presentation I have Uploaded is basically for all Hotel Management Students to get familiar with Hotel Industry. I hope you all will like this and use it.

1. Commonly Used
Foreign Words and Phrases
•Word Definitions
•Example of Use
•Parts of Speech
•Word Origins

2. Why should we study foreign words?
Foreign words are what created our present
day English language. In order to better
understand our spoken and written
language we need to understand some
foreign words and phrases. These
foreign words and phrases help us to
better understand our English language,
express ourselves more
clearly, and comprehend
the meaning behind some

3. Directions for Use
• To use this power point, click on the word you are
studying from the table of contents . That will take
you to the slide with the pronunciation of the word,
the definition of the word, the origin of the word, the
part of speech to which the word belongs, and an
example of the word used in a sentence.
• To hear the word pronounced, click on the word in
blue at the top of the slide. A pronunciation window
will pop up and the word should be pronounced. If
this does not happen, just
click on the link in the window that says,
“to hear
the word again.” The word should be

4. Table of Contents-1
9th Grade (these words are included in 10th, 11th, & 12th grades
as well)
RSVP alma mater status quo
déjà vu cum laude joie de vivre
faux pas femme fatale carte blanche
du jour esprit de corps caveat emptor
bon voyage verbatim
alpha and omega
E pluribus unum tabula rasa
prima donna hoi polloi

5. Table of Contents-2
10th
Grade (11th
& 12th
also) 11th
Grade (12th
also) 12th
Grade
Carpe diem enfant terrible ad hoc raison d’etre
tempus fugit terra firma cause celebre laissez faire
C’est la vie vox populi magnum opus
bete noire
bona fide persona non grata en masse
savoir faire quid pro quo in absentia
non sequitur je ne sais quoi sub rosa
Id est modus operandi schadenfreude
nom de plume noblesse oblige
haute couture sine qua non
mea culpa
deus ex machina
doppelganger

6. RSVP
• Used on an invitation to indicate that the favor of
a reply is requested
• Part of Speech - Verb (used without object) – to
reply to an invitation: Don’t forget to RSVP
before Thursday.
or
– Noun (a reply to an invitation) – He sent a
lovely bouquet of flowers with his RSVP.
• Word Origin - from the French phrase
“repondez s’il vous plait”

7. déjà vu
• Psychology; the illusion of having previously
experienced something actually being
encountered for the first time; disagreeable
familiarity or sameness
• The new television season had a sense of déjà
vu about it—the same old plots and characters
with new names.
• Part of Speech - Noun
• Word Origin - French

8. faux pas
• A slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or
conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or
indiscretion
• He committed a social faux pas when he called
her Mrs. Instead of Miss.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

9. du jour
• As prepared on the particular day; of
the kind being served today: du = of,
jour = day
• The soup du jour is split pea.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

10. bon voyage
• Have a pleasant trip!
• Bon voyage, mom!
• Part of Speech – Interjection
• Word Origin - French

11. alma mater
• a school, college, or university at which
one has studied and, usually, from
which one has graduated
• I went a football game at my alma
mater, UTK.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

12. cum laude
• An academic honor given at graduation
(Magna cum laude: with high honors)
(Summa cum laude: the highest academic
distinction)
• She graduated magna cum laude from Georgia
Tech.
• Part of Speech – Adverb
• Word Origin - Latin

13. femme fatale
• An irresistibly attractive woman,
especially one who leads men into
difficult, dangerous, or disastrous
situations; a siren
• Angelina Jolie is a true femme fatale.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

14. esprit de corps
• a sense of unity and of common interests and
responsibilities, as developed among a group
of persons closely associated in a task, cause,
or enterprise, etc.
• Participation in community service improves
the group’s esprit de corps.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

15. verbatim
• in exactly the same words; word for word
“to repeat something verbatim” – Adverb
corresponding word for word to the original - Adjective
• James mother told him to tell the principal about the
argument he had with his teacher. Adv.
• This is a verbatim recording of the proceedings. Adj.
• Part of Speech – Adjective or adverb
• Word Origin - Latin

16. E pluribus unum
• out of many, one
(motto of the United States)
• E pluribus unum was adopted as the
national motto for the United States in
1776.
• Part of Speech – Phrase
• Word Origin - Latin

17. prima donna
• a first or principal female singer of an opera
company;
a temperamental person; a person who takes
adulation and privileged treatment as a right and
reacts with petulance to criticism or inconvenience
• Valerie is the prima donna of our school’s senior play
this year.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Italian

18. avant-garde
• the advance group in any field, especially in the
visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are
characterized chiefly by unorthodox and
experimental methods
• Apple computers are the avant-garde in
technology. Noun
She is very avant-garde in her fashion sense. Adj.
• Parts of Speech – Noun or adjective
• Word Origin - French

19. status quo
• the existing state or condition
• People with money are often
satisfied with the status quo.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

20. joie de vivre
• a delight in being alive; keen,
carefree enjoyment of living
• She displays a true joie de vivre.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

21. carte blanche
• Unconditional authority; full
discretionary power
• He exercises his carte blanche
frequently.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

22. caveat emptor
• Let the buyer beware: the principle that the
seller of a product cannot be held responsible
for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a
warranty
• On the web, the advice “caveat emptor” has
never been more apt.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

23. alpha and omega
• the beginning and the end of something
(Revelation 1:8); the first and last letter
of the Greek alphabet
• God is the alpha and the omega.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Greek

24. tabula rasa
• a mind not yet affected by experiences,
impressions, etc…, anything existing
undisturbed in its original, pure state
• John Locke believed that a child’s mind was a
tabula rasa.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

25. hoi polloi
• the common people; the masses; (often
preceded by the)
• The hoi polloi think that Fitzgerald is a
great screen director.
• Part of Speech - Noun
• Word Origin - Greek

26. ad nauseam
• to a sickening or disgusting
degree
• We have heard about all the
budget cuts ad nauseam.
• Part of Speech – Adverb
• Word Origin - Latin

27. carpe diem
• Seize the day; enjoy the present, as
opposed to placing all hope in the future
• It’s a beautiful day, so forget tomorrow’s
tests; Carpe diem!
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

28. tempus fugit
• Time flies
• Tempus fugit when you’re having
fun.
• Part of Speech – phrase
• Word Origin - Latin

29. • express philosophical acceptance of the way
things are: “That’s Life”
• Suzanne’s response to her job loss was,
“C’est la vie.”
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French
c’ est la vie

30. bona fide
• made, done, presented, etc…, in good
faith; Without deception or fraud;
Authentic; True
• The museum has a bona fide sample of
Lincoln’s handwriting.
• Part of Speech – Adjective
• Word Origin - Latin

31. savoir faire
• knowledge of just what to do in any
situation; tact
• At the fancy restaurant, I realized that I
lacked the savior-faire to use all of the
silverware correctly.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

32. non sequitur
• an inference or a conclusion that does not
follow from the premises; a statement
containing an illogical conclusion
• We had been discussing plumbing, so her
remark about astrology was a real non
sequitur.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin – Latin

33. id est
• that is to say; in other words
• I’m going to the place where I work best,
i.e., the coffee shop.
• Part of Speech – Adverb
• Word Origin - Latin

34. enfant terrible
• An incorrigible child, as one whose behavior is
embarrassing
An outrageously outspoken or bold person who says
and does indiscreet or irresponsible things
A person whose work, thought, or lifestyle is so
unconventional or avant-garde as to appear
revolutionary or shocking
• The spoiled child was enfant terrible.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

35. terra firma
• Firm or solid earth or Dry land (as
opposed to water or air)
• After our stormy voyage, we were
relieved to set foot on terra firma.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

36. vox populi
• the voice of the people; popular opinion
• The speaker’s address got barely a
whisper from the vox populi.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

37. ad hoc
• For the present purpose or end presently under
consideration – adverb
concerned or dealing with a specific subject, purpose,
or end – adjective
• After a tornado swept through the school, an ad hoc
group of parents was formed to assist in the repairs.
• Part of Speech – Adverb or Adjective
• Word Origin - Latin

38. cause celebre
• Any controversy that attracts public
attention
• The question of the draft was a cause
célèbre in the 1960s.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

39. magnum opus
• a great work
• Moby Dick was Melville's magnum
opus.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

40. persona non grata
• an unwelcome or unacceptable
person
• He has become persona non grata in
our club.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

41. quid pro quo
• One thing in return for another
• The Chinese may make some concessions
on trade, but they will no doubt demand a
quid pro quo, so we must be prepared to
make concessions too.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

42. je ne sais quoi
• an indefinable quality that makes
somebody or
something more attractive or interesting
• She has a certain je ne sais quoi that
charms everybody.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

43. modus operandi
• a method or way of doing of something
• Her modus operandi in buying a new car
always included a month of research.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

44. noun de plume
• a naming word; a word or group of words
used as the name of a class or people,
places, or things, or of a specific person,
place, or thing
• Samuel Clemens noun de plume is Mark
Twain.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French
noun de plume

45. haute couture
• top fashion; exclusive and expensive clothing
made for an individual customer by a fashion
designer, or the industry that produces such
clothing
• The new I-Phone is a god send to techies
everywhere – hot technology meets haute
couture.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

46. mea culpa
• expressing guilt or fault; used to express
an admission of your own guilt
• I gave you the wrong directions to my
house – mea culpa.
• Part of Speech – Interjection
• Word Origin - Latin

47. raison d’etre
• the reason for being; underlying
principle
• Professor Naylor argues that in the
nuclear age, infantry forces have lost
their raison d'être.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

48. laissez faire
• principle of no regulation of industry; principle
that the economy works best if private industry is
not regulated and markets are free
• People who support a laissez faire system are
against minimum wages, duties, and any other
trade restrictions.
• Part of Speech - Noun
• Word Origin - French

49. bete noire
• somebody or something that is
particularly disliked
• Tax shelters have long been the bête noire
of reformers.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

50. en masse
• in a group; as a body
• The protesters marched en masse to the
capitol.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

51. in absentia
• while absent; in the absence of the
person or persons concerned
• The man was tried and convicted in
absentia.
• Part of Speech - Adverb
• Word Origin - Latin

52. sub rosa
• Confidentially; secretly; privately
• The meeting was held sub rosa, due to
the sensitive nature of its content.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

53. schadenfreude
• gloating at somebody else’s bad luck; smug or
malicious pleasure taken in somebody else’s
misfortune
• To feel envy is human, to savor schadenfreude
is devilish.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - German

54. noblesse oblige
• notion of aristocratic responsibilities; the idea that
people born into the nobility or upper social classes
must behave in an honorable and generous way toward
those less privileged
• In the Robinson family’s circles, public service had
long been common; it connoted not personal ambition
so much as noblisse oblige.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French

55. sine qua non
• an essential condition or prerequisite
• Her presence was the sine qua non of
every social event.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Latin

56. deus ex machina
• god who resolves plot; in ancient Greek and
Roman theater, a god introduced to resolve a
complicated plot
• Only a deus ex machina could resolve the
novel’s thorny crisis.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin – New Latin

57. doppelganger
• double or mirror image
• Doppelganger experiences have led many
people to believe that they were part of a
set of twins that had been separated at
birth.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - Greek

58. coup d’etat
• seizure of political power; the sudden violent
overthrow of a government and seizure of
political power, especially by the military
• The SPD once swore to defend the Republic
against any coup d’etat from the right or the
left.
• Part of Speech – Noun
• Word Origin - French