From Romani to English

We know the Romani language has been infiltrated, over the centuries, by the language of every country we migrated through. What many of us may not know is how much of our language has seeped into the English language.

I had absolutely no clue there were many English language words which have their origins in the Romani language. When you think about it, though, it would be very normal for a sub-culture, such as the English Romanichal, to have their words picked up on by outsiders.

With some inter-marriage and inter-mingling with the inhabitants of England, it should come as no shock that a number of our words became Anglicized. So much so, we accept them as totally English words now.

After a bit of research I've come up with a short list of some very common words we use or hear everyday, which either have survived intact or has been somewhat altered from their original Romani words.

English - Pal = Very close, intimate friend; comrade, chum

Romani - Pral, plal, phral = Brother; comrade

English - Shiv = Knife; switchblade

Romani - Chin = Cut

English - Jockey = Person who rides horses professionally in a race

Romani - Chuckni = A whip or to whip

This one needs a little explaining. The word Jockey was first used to describe a certain kind of whip the Gypsies used. They called it a jockey-whip. So called, because the Romani referred to their whips as Chuckni's. So then, naturally the term evolved from there to include the person using the whip. The Jockey.

English - Hoax, Hocus = To decieve, cheat or play a trick on

Romani -Hocben, Huckaben = A lie or To lie

There are actually a few English words or terms that all derive from this. Hoax, Hocus, Hocus Pocus which is where we get Hanky Panky. Also, Hooky, our word for skipping school may have derived from Hocben or Huckaben.

English - Trash = Anything worthless, useless or discarded

Romani - Trash, Trash'd = Fear, mental weakness and worthlessness

English - Cushy = Involving little effort for ample rewards; A cushy job for example

Romani - Kushti = Good, pleasant, fine, nice, all right

English -Gibberish = Meaningless or unintelligible talk or writing

Romani - Jib = Signifies language

Also, may have been derived from Gyp (nickname for Gypsies) with -ish added to the end as in Engl-ish and Span-ish.

English - Loot = Spoils or plunder taken by pillaging, as in war

Romani - Lut, Lutna = Spoils, ravage, raid, plunder

English - Dad = Father

Romani - Dad, Dadus, Dadrus = Father

English - Nark = To act as a police informer

Romani - Naak = Nose

This slang word Nark originated in England to signify someone who was going to nose around and be an informer for the police. Thus, it took it's name from the Romani, Naak, meaning Nose.

English - Bamboozle = To deceive by trickery

Romani - Bamboo-bakshish = To deceive by paying with a whipping

English - Lush = Drunkard or alcoholic

Romani - Losh, Loshano = Jolly

I believe you can see the connection between being jolly and being drunk.

English - Slang = Language used in place of standard terms to add raciness, humor, irreverence or other effect

Romani - Swang = Signifying mimicking, acting, disguise and sham, be it in words or in deeds

English - Posh = Luxurious, lavish

Romani - Pash or Parsh = Half or part

Doesn't look like they go together at all do they? Well, the Romani in England called a half-penny a pashero. This eventually got into the slang talk of the English as Posh, meaning money. All you have to do now is make the jump from money to luxurious and lavish.

While we're at it on the Pash or Parsh Romani word meaning Part or Fraction, let me give you a list of words that branch off of this. Part, partial, impartial, portion, proportion, apportion, etc.

English - Tiny = Very small

Romani - Tano = Little

And now my favorite for last...

English - Lollipop = A piece of hard candy attached to the end of a small stick

Romani - Lolo and Pobo = Red and Apple

This was derived from the English Romanichal tradition of selling candied apples on a stick.

Well, I hope you enjoyed and possibly learned a thing or two.

I'll be typin' at ya later,

Bob the Blogger