In Old French, "art" referred to a skill or craft that was acquired through practice, experience, and expertise. It encompassed various disciplines, including areas of craftsmanship, trade, and some artistic endeavors. By the 1600s, the word had taken on its Middle English meaning of artistic expression and creativity, as well.

Before “cookies” came to the U.S., they were “koekjes” in the Netherlands. Dutch settlers made their way to New Amsterdam (now New York) in the 1620s, bringing the now-iconic American treat with them. The Dutch word means “small or little cake,” a descriptor that came from their history of being used as small test cakes.

In Old Norse, the word for husband was "husbondi," which came from two elements: “hus," meaning house or dwelling, and “bondi," meaning an occupant or dweller. It referred to the “master of the house.” As the word eventually made its way to Old English, it became “husband,” and referred more specifically to the male partner in a marriage who shared a household with a wife.

The word "berserk" originated from Old Norse, a medieval North Germanic language, as “berserkr” — referring to a warrior who fought with wild, uncontrollable rage. Some interpretations also claim that the word means “bear shirt,” a reference to the animal pelts Norse warriors would wear during battle. It made its way into the English language to describe extreme aggression or excitement.

“Schlep” first appeared in the Yiddish language, derived from the German word “sleppen.” It means to drag or pull something. The word made its way to various parts of the world as Jewish communities migrated to various locales. In English, it’s often used to describe carrying or moving something with difficulty, conveying a major burden or inconvenience.

Long before James Cameron’s science-fiction blockbuster made the word inescapable, “avatar” — derived from Sanskrit and meaning “descent” — appeared in English as early as 1784. At the time, it meant a material appearance of a deity (especially Vishnu). Since then, “avatar” most commonly means a picture or drawing to represent a person on internet sites or in video games.

During the Irish land agitation of 1880, tenants protested English land agent Charles Cunningham Boycott over high rent and land evictions. The Irish Land League led the community to cease all social and economic interactions with Boycott, leading to the word that’s still used in the same way today.

The word "alcohol" originated from the Arabic term "al-khul", which had a different meaning from its modern usage. It referred to a fine powdered antimony sulfide, which was used as a cosmetic to darken the edges of the eyelids. Over time, the term "al-khul" came to be associated with any fine powder produced through distillation processes and eventually the distilled spirit itself.

“Maalstroom” is a Dutch word meaning to whirl (“maal”) and stream (“stroom”). It was used to describe the powerful tidal currents off Norway’s coast. Writer Edgar Allan Poe, in his 1841 short story “A Descent Into the Maelstrom,” introduced the word into the English language.

Pajamas may be known as the clothing we wear to bed, but it comes from a Hindi and Urdu word — which itself comes from the Persian words for “leg” (pa) and “garment” (jama). The term was used initially to describe just casual or loose-fitting pants. It was adopted by Europeans in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The word “tornado” has appeared in English since the 1550s. It’s believed it was most likely written as an incorrect attempt at the Spanish “tronada,” meaning thunderstorm, by navigators at sea. It wasn’t until 1849 that the word was associated with the violent twisting storms and funnel clouds we know today.

The word "broccoli" is plural for the Italian word “broccolo,” which means "the flowering crest of a cabbage.” The cruciferous vegetable originated in the Mediterranean region, first grown by the Etruscans of ancient Italy as a relative to cabbage. Broccoli was also believed to be cultivated in ancient Rome, and was later introduced to Europe and America.

Under the rule of the dance-loving monarch Louis XIV, France adapted the Latin word “ballare” (meaning “to dance”) into “ballet.” Throughout the 17th century, French choreographer Pierre Beauchamp also formalized it into a specific performance, choreographing the feet and arm positions that have been associated with classical ballet technique ever since.

“Alibi” is a Latin word meaning “elsewhere.” When it made its way into the English language in the 18th century, it was still an adverb, but over time, it turned into a noun and began to be used within legal contexts to refer to “the plea of having been elsewhere at the time of the crime,” according to Merriam-Webster.

“Noodle” might bring to mind all things Italian, but the word actually comes from the German word “nudel.” It began appearing in German cookbooks in the 1400s as an ingredient in composita, which are casseroles with cabbage, dried fruit, ham, and dumplings. The dumplings were considered noodles — in fact, in its early incarnations, “nudel” basically meant something made of wheat flour, butter, and milk.

Platonic, the English adjective used to describe non-romantic relationships, originated with the Greek philosopher Plato. In a 14th-century study of Plato’s “The Symposium,” the Latin term “amor platonicus” was used to describe the many non-romantic relationships depicted in the work. Afterwards, the word “platonic” became used in the English language.

“Video" is a Latin word that means "I see" or "I am seeing." It is conjugated from the verb "videre," which means "to see." The word made its way into the English language in the 1930s as a way to describe the visual channel, as opposed to the auditory channel (also from the latin “audio,” or “I hear”) during early television experiments.

Phobia is derived from the Greek word "phobos," the name of the god of fear in Greek mythology. The English adaptation came from Latin, and is usually used to describe an intense fear or panic. The first recorded phobia was hydrophobia in 1547 (now known as rabies). It is still primarily used to describe specific fears, such as arachnophobia (fear of spiders) or claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces).

Kindergarten is a German word meaning "children's garden." It was coined in the 19th century by Friedrich Frobel, an educator who is credited with inventing the kindergarten grade level. The word is said to have symbolized his vision for early childhood education — he saw children as “tiny flowers” who, with care and attention, could flourish alongside their peers.

Although the word “coffee” is thought to have originated in the Arabic language as “qahwah,” it wasn’t until the Turks started drinking the dark liquid in the 16th century that it took on the form “kahve.” In the late 17th century, as the beverage made its way into everyday European life, “coffee” had become the standard spelling.