The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (49 page)

maxima cum laude (maksima kam
lowda),) LATIN [with the greatest
praise] adverb phrase with greatest
distinction (referring to awards for
academic excellence). -adjective phrase
with greatest distinction.

maximum (maksimam) LATIN [neuter of maximus greatest, largest]
noun (plural maximums or maxima, maksima) the greatest value,
amount, or quality, or the highest
point or upper limit possible. 'adjective highest, greatest, largest: "The

bombing was intended to cause the maximum possible disruption."

mayday (iiida),) FRENCH [from
m'aider help me] noun a distress call
(as used in radio messages): "The wireless operator radioed a single mayday an
hour later but failed to give details of the
ship's position or condition."

mayonnaise (ranayz, ma),an)
FRENCH [from mahonnais, after
Mahon, capital of Minorca] noun a
thick dressing made with egg yolks,
vegetable oils, vinegar or lemon juice,
and seasonings.

mazel tov (mahzal tof, mazal tof),
mazal tov YIDDISH [good star, from
Hebrew mazzal star] interjection good
luck! congratulations!

mazourka See MAZURKA.

mazuma (mazooma) YIDDISH [from
mazume cash, from zimmen to prepare]
noun (slang) money, cash.

mazurka (mazerka), mazourka
(m2zoork3) POLISH [mazurek, after the
Masuria region of Poland] noun a
Polish folk dance in triple time resembling the polka, or music written in
the same tempo: "Prince Schegolskoy, a
kammerjunker, had just come from Petersburg then ... he danced the mazurka with
me and wanted to make me an offer next
day" (F),odor Dostoyevsky, Crime and
Punishment, 1866).

mea culpa (Maya W pa) LATIN [my
fault, from the Christian prayer confiteor] interjection it is my fault, I am
to blame: "And now Lady Midlothian
had punished it after another fashion, and
Alice went out of the Countess's presence
with sundry inward exclamations of mea
culpa,' and with many unseen beatings
of the breast" (Anthony Trollope, Can
You Forgive Her?, 1864). -noun phrase
an admission of personal fault or
blame.

mecca (mcka) ARABIC [after Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, referring to the city's status as a site of pilgrimage for Muslims]
noun a focus of activity or attention:
"Memphis is a mecca for Elvis fans from
around the world."

meconium (makoneeam) LATIN [poppy
juice] noun the first feces, dark green
in color, passed by a newborn baby.

medallion (madalyan), medaillon
FRENCH [from medaillon, itself from
Italian medaglia medal] noun a large
medal or a decorative panel or tablet
bearing a portrait, figure in relief, or
other emblem: "The medallion fetched
a record price when it was auctioned in
London recently."

media (mcedeea) LATIN [plural of
medium middle, intermediate] noun
the press or television, radio, newspapers, and magazines in general: "The
media have bombarded the president's office

with demands for interviews all week." See
also MEDIUM.

medico (mediko) ITALIAN /SPANISH
[ultimately from Latin medicus physician] noun a physician, doctor,
medical practitioner: "With some curiosity as to what could have sent a brother
medico to us at such an hour, I followed
Holmes into our sanctum" (Arthur Conan
Doyle, "The Resident Patient," 1893).

mediocre (meedeeOkdr) FRENCH
[from mediocre, itself from Latin mediocris, from medius middle and Old Latin
ocris stony mountain] adjective of
moderate or low quality, value, performance, or ability, indifferent, secondrate, unexceptional, ordinary: "The
quality of the finished product was mediocre
at best."

medium (meedeeam) LATIN [neuter
of medius middle, intermediate] noun
(plural mediums or media, mcdeea)
a middle or average condition or
degree; can also refer to a substance
used as a means of transmission of a
force or effect, to a means of artistic
expression, to a means of communication, information, or entertainment,
or to anything or anyone that acts as
an intermediary or agency between
others. See also MEDIA.

medrese See MADRASA.

medusa (madoosa, madyoosa,
mddooza, maC)Looza) GREEK [after the legendary gorgon Medousa, who
had snakes for hair and could turn any
mortal beholder to stone] noun a
terrifying or ugly woman: "I thought
Medusa had looked at you, and that
you were turning to stone." (Charlotte
Brontc, Jane Eyre, 1847).

meerschaum (meershom, meershom)
GERMAN [from Meer sea and Schaum
foam, ultimately from Persian kef-idarya sea foam] noun a traditional German tobacco pipe with a curved stem
and large bowl made from speiolite or
hydrated magnesium silicate clay.

mega (mega) GREEK [great, from
megas large] interjection (slang) great!
cool! excellent! awesome! -adjective
(slang) great, large.

mega- (mega) GREEK [great, from
megas large] prefix very large in size
or amount, e.g., megalith, also one
million, e.g., megahertz.

megalomania (megalomeea,megalonya) GREEK [enthusiasm for
great things] noun a delusive belief
in one's own importance or influence
in the world, or a mania for grandiose
projects and effects.

megalopolis (megalopalis) GREEK [a
great city] noun a large city or heavily populated metropolitan area.

meiosis (miosis) GREEK [a lessening,
from meioun to diminish, from meion

less] noun (plural meioses, m oscez)
understatement, a figure of speech
in which the importance or scale of
something or someone is underemphasized (the opposite of hyperbole);
can also refer to a cellular process
concerning the organization of chromosomes in gamete-producing cells.

-meister (misthr) GERMAN [master]
suffix denoting a person who is skilled
or knowledgeable in a specified area of
activity, e.g., poolmeister.

mela (meta, Ala) SANSKRIT [gathering] noun an intercultural festival
originating in the Indian subcontinent:
"The annual Glasgow Mela brings together
performers from Glasgow's Indian, Pakistani, Afro-Caribbean, and Chinese communities."

melancholia (melankoleea) GREEK
[from melankholia melancholy, from
melas black and khole bile] noun pathological depression, or a general melancholy, pensiveness, foreboding,
depression of the spirits: "lf no one visits
me soon, I shall die of melancholia."

melange (maylonzh, mclahni) FRENCH
[mixture, blend, from meter to mix]
noun a mixture or medley of miscellaneous items or elements.

melee (melay, mna lay), melee, melee
FRENCH [conflict, struggle, from meter
to mix] noun a confused struggle or contest, a chaotic hand-to-hand fight,
or more generally any confused mixture of disparate elements or state
of turmoil: "But Uncas, who had vainly
sought him in the melee, bounded forward
in pursuit; Hawkeye, Heyward and David
still pressing on his footsteps" (James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans,
1826).

membrum virile (membram vireelee)
LATIN [male member] noun phrase
the penis.

memento (memento) LATIN [remember, imperative of meminisse to
remember] noun (plural mementos or
mementoes) something that serves
to remind a person of something;
a keepsake, a souvenir, a warning: "I
brought back a boomerang as a memento
of Australia."

memento mori (memento moree,
memento mori) LATIN [remember to
did ] noun phrase remember you must
die; can also refer to something that
serves to remind a person of his or
her own mortality: "He kept the bullet
as a kind of memento mori, producing it at
dinner parties when the hilarity of other
guests began to irritate him."

memo See MEMORANDUM.

memoir (memwahr) FRENCH [from
memoire memory, from Latin memorial
noun an autobiographical or biographical record, a memorandum, or

an official note or report: "She wrote
an interesting memoir about her early life
but refused to reveal any details about her
first marriage."

memorabilia (memarabileea, memarabeeleea, memrabilya, memarabeel),a)
LATIN [things that deserve remembrance, neuter plural of memorabilis
memorable, from memorare to bring
to mind] plural noun mementos,
souvenirs, and relics that provoke
memories: "The old man's house was
full of memorabilia dating back to his
youth."

memorandum (memorandum) LATIN
[to be remembered, neuter singular
of memorandus, gerundive of memorare to bring to mind] noun (plural
memorandums or memoranda,
memaranda) a written reminder,
note, record, or communication:
"The extent of the secretary of state's
involvement in the affair was exposed in
a memorandum to his assistant." 'abbreviatedform memo (memo).

memsahib (memsahb, memsaheeb)
HINDI [from English ma'am and Hindi
sahib master] noun a courtesy title
addressed to a white European woman
of high status living in India: "Lispeth
took to Christianity readily, and did not
abandon it when she reached womanhood,
as do some Hill girls. Her own people hated
her because she had, they said, become a
memsahib and washed herself daily; and
the Chaplain's wife did not know what to do with her" (Rudyard Kipling, "The
Convert," 1888).

menage (maynahzh) FRENCH [household, housekeeping, from Old
French mesnage dwelling, ultimately
from Latin mansio mansion] noun a
household, a domestic establishment;
can also refer to housekeeping or
housework.

menage A trois (maynahzh a twa,
menahzh a twa) FRENCH [household
of three] noun phrase a domestic
arrangement in which three people
live together in the same household
(usually understood to imply a sexual
relationship involving a husband and
wife and the lover of one or both of
them): "The menage a trois that the writer
set up with his two lovers became the subject of much local gossip."

menagerie (manaree, manazharee)
FRENCH [from menagerie, management
of a household or farm] noun a collection of exotic animals or a zoo or
other place where they are kept for
exhibition; by extension, any collection of diverse individuals, animals, or
birds: A substantial portion of the tycoon's
fortune was devoted to maintaining his
menagerie of wild animals and birds."

menhir (menheer) FRENCH [long
stone, from Breton men stone and hir
long] noun a prehistoric standing
stone or monolith: "The countryside in
this part of France is dotted with menhirs, many of them standing in groups of two or
three huge stones resting on one another."

meniscus (manisk3s) GREEK [meniskos crescent] noun (plural meniscuses
or menisci, maniskee) the convex
or concave upper surface of a liquid
in a tube caused by surface tension;
by extension any crescent or crescent-shaped body (such as a lens with
crescent-shaped section).

meno ( no) ITALIAN [less] adverb
(in music) less, used in directions, e.g.,
meno mosso (to be played less rapidly).

menopause (menhpoz) FRENCH [from
menopause cessation of menstruation,
from Greek men month, moon and pausis stopping, pause] noun the period
in a woman's life when menstruation
ceases: `Side effects of menopause can easily
be mistaken for symptoms of disease."

menorah (mi.nora) HEBREW [candlestick] noun a candelabrum with
seven or nine candles, as traditionally used in Jewish religious celebrations.

mensch (mensh) YIDDISH [from mentsh human being, from Old High German mennisco person] noun a person
of integrity, rectitude, or honor.

menses (menseez) LATIN [months,
plural of mensis month] noun menstruation or the menstrual flow.

mens rea (menz reed) LATIN [guilty
mind] noun phrase criminal intent:
"The prosecutors must establish that the
defendant had the appropriate mens rea
f they are to have any hope of securing a
guilty verdict."

mens sana in corpore sano (menz
sahna in korporay sahno) LATIN [a
sound mind in a sound body, from Satires X by Juvenal (c. A.D. 60-117)] noun
phrase a healthy mind in a healthy
body.

mentor (mentor, mentor) GREEK [after
the legendary character Mentor, tutor
to Odysseus's son Telemachus] noun a
tutor, coach, guide, or trusted counselor or adviser: ". . . the occurrence at
the mess, petty fit were, was a welcome one
to that peculiar conscience assigned to be
the private mentor of Claggart." (Herman
Melville, Billy Budd, 1924).

merci (mairscc) FRENCH [thank you]
interjection thanks.

meringue (mar) FRENCH [of
unknown origin, possibly from
German Meting cake of Mehringen]
noun a sweet dessert topping or
confection comprising egg whites
and sugar that have been beaten until
stiff and then baked.

mesa (rsa) SPANISH [table, from
Latin mensa table] noun a steep, flattopped, tablclike geological formation of a type commonly found in the deserts of SW United States.

mesalliance (mayzalyons, mayzalians),
mesalliance FRENCH [misalliance]
noun a marriage or other match contracted between members of different social classes and thus considered
unsuitable: "To a mesalliance of that kind
every globule of my ancestral blood spoke in
opposition" (Ambrose Bierce, Can Such
Things Be? 1893).

mesdames See MADAME.

mesdemoiselles See MADEMOISELLE.

messiah (masia), Messiah GREEK
[from massias, ultimately from Hebrew
mashiah anointed one, from mashah
to anoint] noun a savior or spiritual
leader who is expected to redeem
his people (often referring specifically to Jesus Christ): "Members of
the cult regarded Jones as a messiah
but failed to recognize the dangers he
represented."

messieurs See MONSIEUR.

mestizo (mesteezo) SPANISH [mixed,
ultimately from Latin miscere to mix]
noun (plural mestizos or mestizoes)
a person of mixed European and
Native American ancestry. -noun,
feminine mestiza (mesteeza) a female
of mixed European and Native
American ancestry.

metamorphosis (metamorfosis) GREEK
[transformation, from metamorphoun
to transform] noun (plural metamorphoses, metamorfoseez) a change
or transformation in form, structure,
appearance, shape, character, condition, or circumstance or the process
by which such a change takes place
(often referring specifically to biological processes): "The commercial center of
the city has undergone a complete metamorphosis in the last six months."