gainword

English

Etymology

gain +‎ word

Noun

gainword (plural gainwords)

  1. (linguistics, rare, in relation to the Maori language) A word that a language has borrowed from other languages. In the process, the spelling and pronunciation, and even meaning, may be altered.
    Synonym: loanword
    • 1995, TP Duval, A preliminary dictionary of Maori gainwords compiled on historical principles:
      Words comprising a gainword + Maori suffix are entered as run-ons in alphabetical order where there is a root gainword as headword.

Translations
a word a language has borrowed from another language — see loanword
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.