Hobson-Jobson & suasion

suasion SWAY-zhun, noun:
The act of persuading; persuasion.

Suasion comes from Latin suasio, from suadere, “to present in a pleasing manner,” hence, “to advise.” It is related to suave, “gracious or agreeable in manner.”

Hobson-Jobson HOB-suhn JOB-suhn noun

Adaptation of a foreign word or phrase to fit the sound and spelling patterns of the borrowing language.

From the title of a book of the same name.

Examples –

Juggernaut from Sanskrit Jagannatha.
Plonk (cheap wine) from French [vin] blanc.
Mary Jane/Mary Warner/Mary Jane Warner for Mexican/Spanish marijuana.
Hocus-pocus from Latin hoc est corpus.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply