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word

calque

KALK

kælk

Listen

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Syllable breakdown

calque

Sounds like

Say 'KALK' — rhymes with 'alk'.

Dictionary meaning

A word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal translation of its component parts.

History and origin

French — 'calque' (tracing, copy).

Examples

  • 'Skyscraper' was calqued into French as 'gratte-ciel' (scratch-sky) and German as 'Wolkenkratzer' (cloud-scratcher).

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