ศาลาชุมนุม

[John]

I heard a statement recently that the English language "never met a word it didn't like", and that the English language is rich with foreign words from all parts of the world. My question, is anyone aware of any Thai words that have been incorporated into English?

John

[thaitom]

John,

I can't think of any, but I would sure like to get the word (and concept) of กิ๊ก into English....lol, just kiding...

thaitom

[David and Bui]

Of course! Siamese twins!

[thaitom]

Good call! Didn't even think of that one!

[John]

I was thinking more of actual Thai words that have been incorporated into English.

How about "bong", or "บ้อง"?

[TomWizard]

บ๊อง or bong means !@#$ Oh!! Yo!! i'm just kiding yeah that i'm บ๊อง

[Nan]

John,

It's interesting to see this word 'bong' on 'Concise Oxford English Dictionary' and get this explanation;

bong2
■ noun a water pipe used for smoking cannabis.

(origin)
1970s: from Thai'baung', lit. 'cylindrical wooden tube'.

[David and Bui]

John and Nan,

What a great idea Nan had! I looked on the on-line version of the Merrian-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. In addition to the country of Thailand, here is what they have:

Main Entry: pad thai Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: päd-t, pad-
Function: noun
Usage: often capitalized T
Etymology: Thai phàd thaj, literally, Thai stir-fried mixture
Date: 1978
: a Thai dish consisting of rice noodles stir-fried usually with any of various additional ingredients (as bean sprouts, peanuts, chicken, shrimp, and egg)

Isn't it fitting that the Thai import should be a food item. Maybe there are others without the element "Thai" in the name.

[foros2000]

Hello,

I just did a search in the "electronic Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Eleventh Edition)" for words of Thai origin used in English. Here is what I found:

• at2
  noun a monetary unit of Laos, equal to one hundredth of a kip.
  ORIGIN from Thai.


• baht
  noun (plural same) the basic monetary unit of Thailand, equal to 100 satangs.
  ORIGIN from Thai bat.


• bong2
  noun a water pipe used for smoking cannabis.
  ORIGIN 1970s: from Thai baung, literally 'cylindrical wooden tube'.


• farang
  noun (among Thais) a European or other foreigner.
  ORIGIN Thai, from frank2.


• kip3
  noun (plural same or kips) the basic monetary unit of Laos, equal to 100 ats.
  ORIGIN from Thai.


• klong
  noun (in Thailand) a canal.
  ORIGIN from Thai.


• pad thai
  noun a Thai dish based on rice noodles.
  ORIGIN from Thai.


• satang
  noun (plural same or satangs) a monetary unit of Thailand, equal to one hundredth of a baht.
  ORIGIN Thai, from Pali sata 'hundred'.


• Shan
  noun (plural same or Shans)
  1 a member of a people living mainly in northern Burma (Myanmar) and adjacent parts of China.
  2 the language of the Shan, related to Thai.
  ORIGIN from Burmese.


• Siamese
  noun (plural same)
  1 dated a native of Siam (now Thailand) in SE Asia.
  2 old-fashioned term for Thai (the language).
  3 (also Siamese cat) a cat of a lightly built short-haired breed characterized by slanting blue eyes and pale fur with darker points.
  adjective dated relating to Siam, its people, or their language.


• Sino-Tibetan
  noun a large language family of eastern Asia which includes Chinese, Burmese, Tibetan, and (in some classifications) Thai.
  adjective relating to Sino-Tibetan.


• Tai
  adjective relating to or denoting a family of tonal SE Asian languages, including Thai and Lao.


• Thai
  noun (plural same or Thais)
  1 a native or national of Thailand. a member of the largest ethnic group in Thailand.
  2 the official language of Thailand.
  adjective relating to Thailand, its people, or their language.
  ORIGIN Thai, literally 'free'.


• Thai stick
  noun strong cannabis in leaf form, twisted into a tightly packed cylinder ready for smoking.


• wat
  noun (in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos) a Buddhist monastery or temple.
  ORIGIN Thai, from Sanskrit vata 'enclosure'.

[r2d2]

deleted (was already stated by David)