Some Foreign Words and Phrases

Ab Initio = (From the very beginning).
The students insisted that the lesson should be taken up ab initio.

Ab extra = (From the outside).
Ab extra he appears to be a gentleman.

Ad hoc = Arrangement for some special purpose.
An ad hoc committee has been appointed to consider the question of rising prices.

Ad infinitum = (Without limit).
The power of God is ad infinitum.

Ad interim = (In the meantime).
I had left my room for a few minutes, ad interim a monkey entered it and tore many books.

Ad nauseam = (To a disgusting extent).
He talked about his own affairs ad nauseam.

Ad valorem = (According to the value of).
An ad valorem duty of three per cent is to be paid on all goods entering municipal limits.

Agent provocateur = A spy who works secretly and creates disturbance.
The mill owners employ agent provocateurs to incite the striking workers to violence and thus involve them in trouble.

Alma mater = The institution where one has been educated.
All students of Merrut College are proud of their Alma Mater.

A(Ex-stlumni = udents).
The alumni of this college hold high positions in the country.

Aide de camp (pronounced as 'Cong')….. The personal attendant of a high military officer.
The general came followed by his aide de camp.

Aide memorie = (A reminder; a notebook in which things are noted).
It is a good habit always to keep an aide memorie within easy reach.

Alter ego = (Fast friends).
I do not know why Mohsin, who was my alter ego, has suddenly turned against me

Ante meridiem = (a.m.) Between midnight and noon.
I get up at five ante meridiem.

Anno Domini = (In the year of our Lord (A.D.)
Shakespeare died in 1616 Anno Domini

Annus mirabilis = (A year of wonders).
The year 1947 is annus mirabilis in the history of Pakistan.

Apologia = (An apologetic writing).
“In defence of poesy” is Philip Sidney's apologia for poetry.

Aqua = (Water)
One cannot live without aqua even for a single day.

Bona fide = (Good faith, honesty, sincerity).
A gentleman does not doubt the boba fides of others.

Billet d'amour = (A love-letter).
He has been expelled from the college for sending a billet d'amour to a girl student.

Bete noire = (Object of dislike).
English is the bête noire of most students.

Beau ideal = (Model; finest specimen).
The Quaid-i-Azam was the beau ideal of a democratic leader.

Bon voyage = (A happy journey).
I will go to the airport to wish my friend bon voyage.

Bizarre = (Electric, fantastic; grotesque).
There is a marked element of the bizarre in English romantic poetry.

Bon bon = (Sweetmeat).
All children like bon bons.

Bourgeoisie = (The middle class).
Owing to high prices, the bourgeoisie is finding it difficult to make both ends meet.


Boulevard = (A street shaded with trees).
People go out in large numbers every evening to have a walk on the boulevard.

Beau monde = (A false rumour or statement).
The Indian Bean monde have been exposed and the world now knows the truth.

Carte blanche = (Full authority).
The Proctor of the college has been given carte blanche to deal with cases of indiscipline in the way he likes.

Bourgeois = A member of the middle class; a merchant; concerned with material possessions and social status.
They have become very bourgeois since they got married.

Cadre = (A list or rank of officers).
Officers in the same cadre enjoy the same rights and privileges.

Cortege = (A train of attendants; followers).
The queen arrived followed by her cortege.

Cafe = (a restaurant).
Let us go to the café and have a cup of tea.

Chauffeur = (Motor-car driver).
I have engaged a chauffeur at Rs.3000 monthly.

Coup d'etat = (Sudden overthrow of an established government).
President Ayub Khan came into power through a coup d'etat.

Cliché = (A hackneyed (much used) literary expression).
In a democracy, many clichés are used to befool the people and get votes.

Charge d'affaires = (Ambassador to a small country).
Pakistan maintains her charge d'affairs in many countries of the world.

De facto = (In fact though not in law).
As long as Hafiz-ul-Asad lived, he was the de facto king of Syria.

De jure = (In law though not in fact).
I am the de jure owner of this house, through I have failed to get possession over it.

De novo = (Afresh; from the very beginning).
The students requested the teacher to begin the lesson de novo.

Dei gratia = (By the grace of God).
Dei gratia my father has recovered from a serious illness.

De profundis = (Cry from the depth of sorrow).
Sweetest poetry and sweetest songs are de profundis.

Debacle = (Sudden route; complete defeat).
Pakistan has constantly increased her defence forces after the debacle in the war with India.

Debut = (First appearance on the stage or society).
The actress was widely cheered on her debut.

Divide at impera = (A policy of divide and rule).
The British ruled India through a policy of divide at impera.

Dramatis personae = (Characters in a novel or drama).
Hamlet is one of the dramatis personae in the famous Shakespearen tragedy 'Hamlet'.

Denouement = (End).
The denouement of this story comes as a pleasant surprise.

En block or En masse = In a body; all together.
1. The student left the class en block and went to see the Principal.
2. The traders went to see the commerce minister en masses.

En route = (On the way).
En route to Lahore, I will drop at Sheikhupura to see the Hiran Minaar.

Émigré = An emigrant (one who goes and lives in another country).
The British Parliament has passed a law limiting the number of émigré from Asia and Africa.

Ex officio = (In virtue of one's office).
The District Magistrate is ex-officio Chairman of our Board of Governors.

Ex parte = (One-sided)
The judge delivered an ex-parte judgment as the other party was not present in the court.

El dorado = (A country full of gold).
The Europeans regarded India as an Eldorado (for a long time).

Exempli gratia = (e.g.) for example.
Many fruits grow in Kashmir, exempli gratia grapes, apples.

Exit = (Leaves the stage).
Exit the murder with the head of his victim.

Exeunt = (More than one go off the stage).
Exeunt all singers and dancers.

Elite = (Echoice; gentry).
The elite were invited to the college function.

Esprit de corps = (The spirit of belonging to the same group).
N.C.C. inspires the students with esprit de corps.

En tente = (Understanding).
En tente between nations is necessary for peace.

Errata = (A list of errors).
As there were a number of printing mistakes in the book an errata was added at the end.

Façade = (The front of a building).
Our college has an impressive façade.

Fait accompli = (Something already done or accomplished).
She married the man her parents disapproved of and presented them with a fait accompli.

Fiance = (one's betrothed (male).
He is the fiancé of my sister.

Fiancee = One's betrothed (female).
She is the fiancé of my friend.

Faus pas = (A mistake).
Even a single faus pas may result in the defeat of a nation in a modern war.

Facsimile = (An exact copy).
I have kept a facsimile of this letter for my reference.

Genre = (particular style or kind especially of works of art or literature).
The one-act play is a separate genre of literature.

Gendarmes = (armed police).
Four gendarmes caught the thief.

Honoris causa = (For the sake of honour).
The Kansas University conferred LLD on Liaquat Ali Khan honoris causa.

Hauteur = (Haughtiness of manner).
His hauteur is intolerable.


Source: Some Foreign Words and Phrases