what has happenned to the engish language., page-48

According to The Telegraph, "Brian Whitaker, the Middle East correspondent of The Guardian, once provided a list of common English words and asked which one was the odd man out".

The words were: admiral, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, algebra, algorithm, alkali, almanac, amalgam, aniline, apricot, arsenal, arsenic, artichoke, assassin, aubergine, azure, borax, cable, calibre, camphor, candy, cannabis, carafe, carat, caraway, checkmate, cipher, coffee, cotton, crimson, crocus, cumin, damask, elixir, gauze, gazelle, ghoul, giraffe, guitar, hashish, hazard, jar, jasmine, lacquer, lemon, lilac, lime, lute, magazine, marzipan, massage, mattress, muslin, myrrh, nadir, orange, safari, saffron, samizdat, sash, sequin, serif, sesame, shackle, sherbet, shrub, sofa, spinach, sugar, sultana, syrup, talc, tamarind, tambourine, tariff, tarragon, zenith, zero.

"The answer, of course, is 'samizdat', an untranslatable Russian word meaning 'underground dissident writing'. The rest are all Arabic words that, during the seven centuries of Islamic occupation of Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France,entered the laguage

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/blogs/all-men-are-liars/untranslatable-20121106-28vea.html#ixzz2BarttwiP