If foreign words and phrases are your "bete noire," here is a superb reference that offers coverage of more than 6,000 foreign words and phrases that are in regular use in English today.
Readers will find clear definitions of words such as "fandango," "futon," "falsetto," "basmati," "bistro," "nouvelle cousine"--and many other words appear in everyday speech as well as in musical direction, the arts, food, medicine, science, literature and belles-lettres. As one would expect in a language as global as English, the Dictionary draws words from some forty languages including Afrikaans, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindustani, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Turkish. The entries are browsable, but also authoritative, with detailed information on each word or phrase, including any alternative spellings, the date of the word's introduction into English, its language of origin and original spelling, its definition, and notes on usage and other points of interest. Quotations have been liberally sprinkled throughout to illustrate how the words are used in context. The etymologies are often curious: "ukelele," for instance, is Hawaiian for "jumping flea" and "yakuza," the Japanese word for "gangster," literally means "8-9-3" (the worst possible hand in a popular gambling game). New full-page feature panels provide fascinating extra information on language borrowing, including how specific languages have influenced particular areas of English. This new edition includes up-to-date coverage of words that have entered the English language in the 21st Century, including "bruschetta," "pashmina," and "galactico," and an appendix that lists words by country.
Here then is a book that is "sine qua non" (absolutely indispensable) for anyone's reference shelf.