Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·French ·1670s
Faux pas
from faux pas
- Meaning
- A social blunder.
- Source word
- faux pas
- Route into English
- French *faux pas* ("false step") → English via 17th-century courtly etiquette writing. Kept as a two-word French phrase; very rarely naturalised as "fox pass" in speech.
- Arrived
- 1670s
From French
Beyond the Norman conquest's Old French foundation, English kept borrowing from French for art, cuisine, fashion, and diplomacy throughout the modern period.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.