A Bazar of Words

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Lately, I've been trying to cut down on my hours unproductivity (read: binge watching youtube), to focus on more rewarding pursuits. The other day, while learning French, I came across the words “bazar”, meaning “mess”. C'est le bazar translates to ‘it’s a mess’ and “mettre le bazar" would translate to "make a mess” or “mess things up”

Bazar or baazaar is a word I’m familiar with. In Hindi, a “bazaar” or “baajaar” means “market”, a word which has its roots in Persian. Although the alternative meaning is foreign to me, a baazar is usually a jumble of shops, and I can see where the French are coming from.

This has got me thinking. Are there many more Persian or other Asian loanwords in French and other European languages? I searched on Google for Persian loanwords in French and didn’t find much, though I found a ton of French loanwords in Persian, which is only to be expected. Since European nations industrialised much ahead of Asian countries, it was natural for Asian countries to borrow words from European languages.

We are all bound to have encountered  a number of Hindi and other Indian words have been borrowed by the English language, whether we know it or not. I have jotted down a few here:

Catamaran, borrowed from “Kattaimaram” in Tamil

Jungle, borrowed from “Jangal” in Hindi

Coir from Kayar in Tamil and Malayalam

Bungalow from Bangla, to mean a house in Bengali style

Loot from Lut in Hindi

Cot from Khat in Hindi

Cushy from Kushi in Hindi

Loanwords are fascinating, because they really showcase the intersection of culture and language. I'm going to be looking out for more loanwords in french. Let me know if you know any. 

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