1. Starting in 110
B.C.
, the Romans fought wars with the Germanic tribes and established colonies in Germany. They thus left a Latin influence on the Germanic languages. For example, the German word
Wein
comes from the Latin word vinum, "wine," and the city of Cologne owes its name to the Latin word
colonia
, "colony." Much later, in the fifth century
A.D.
, some Germanic tribes, called Anglo-Saxons, invaded England and in so doing brought to the Celtic languages of England Latin words that they had learned from the Romans. The Latin words that were adopted at this time included
cheese
, from Latin
caseus
through German
Kaese
.
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2. In 55
B.C.
the Romans invaded England under the leadership of Julius Caesar; a century later, in
A.D.
43, under Emperor Claudius, England became a Roman province. The language of the Roman government in England was, of course, Latin, and it influenced the Celtic languages spoken there. Among the Latin words that came in at this time was
castra
, "camp," which appears in English place-names as
caster
(Lancaster) or as
chester
(Rochester).
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3. In
A.D.
597 missionaries began traveling to England to convert the natives to Christianity. The language of the Catholic Church was Latin (the Bible was not translated into English until the late fourteenth century), and Latin words therefore became as much a part of people's lives as worship.
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4. Under the leadership of William the Conqueror, the Normans, people of northern France (Normandy), won the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and subsequently occupied England during the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries. The Norman dialect of French (a Romance language) was the language of the government during the occupation. This time period marked the greatest influx of Latinate words into English.
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5. A further group of Latinate words came into English during the Renaissance. Scholars throughout Europe communicated in the one language, Latin, that was familiar to all educated people. They borrowed words from Latin to express ideas for which no word existed in their native languages. Thus, an ancient, "dead" language was used to describe new things, and more Latinate words enriched the English language and thought.
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