Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1880s
Geisha
from geisha
- Meaning
- A professional Japanese female entertainer.
- Source word
- geisha
- Route into English
- Japanese *geisha* (art-person) → English via late-19th-century Japonisme. Often misunderstood in the West as a sex worker; the Japanese original refers to a trained performer of dance, music, and conversation.
- Arrived
- 1880s
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.