Thanks to our emailers for all the help with a name for words formed from roots in different languages. “Hybrid word” was a common suggestion, though it seems more a description than a name. Macaronic turns out to be the word I was trying to come up with, though it seems technically to be more commonly used of songs or pieces of literature that mix langauges than of individual words. Yankee Doodle came to town / Riding on a pony. / Stuck a feather in his hat / and called it . . .
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Of Roots and Adventures
I have lived in Ohio, Michigan, Georgia (twice), Pennsylvania, Alabama (also twice), England, and Idaho. I left…
Our Most Popular Articles of 2025
It’s been a big year for First Things. Our website was completely redesigned, and stories like the…
Our Year in Film & Television—2025
First Things editors and writers share the most memorable films and TV shows they watched this year.…
