foreign
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Middle English forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus, from Latin forās (“outside, outdoors”), also spelled forīs (“outside, outdoors”). Displaced native Middle English elendish, ellendish (“foreign”) (from Old English elelendisc, compare Old English ellende (“foreign”), elland (“foreign land”)), Middle English eltheodi, eltheodish (“foreign”) (from Old English elþēodiġ, elþēodisc (“foreign”)), and non-native Middle English peregrin (“foreign”) (from Old French peregrin).
Pronunciation [edit]
- (UK) IPA: /ˈfɒɹən/, X-SAMPA: /"fQr\@n/
- (GenAm) IPA: /ˈfɔɹən/, X-SAMPA: /"fOr\@n/
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Audio (US) (file) -
Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -ɒrən, -ɒrɪn
- Hyphenation: for‧eign
Adjective [edit]
foreign (comparative more foreign, superlative most foreign)
- From a different country.
- 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, The Ayrsham Mystery[1]:
- The cane was undoubtedly of foreign make, for it had a solid silver ferrule at one end, which was not English hall–marked.
- There are many more foreign students in Europe since the Erasmus scheme started.
- 1905, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, chapter 2, The Ayrsham Mystery[1]:
- Belonging to a different culture.
- Eating with chopsticks was a foreign concept to him.
- Of an object, etc, in a place where it does not belong.
- foreign body
- (US, state law) From a different one of the states of the United States, as of a state of residence or incorporation.
- Belonging to a different organization, company etc.
- My bank charges me $2.50 every time I use a foreign ATM.
Synonyms [edit]
- (from a different country): overseas, international
- (belonging to a different culture): alien, fremd
- (in a place where it does not belong): extraneous
Antonyms [edit]
- (from a different country): domestic
- (belonging to a different culture): native
- (native to an area): indigenous
Derived terms [edit]
- foreigner
- foreignness
- foreign body
- foreign country
- foreign debt
- foreign exchange
- foreign key
- foreign tongue
- foreign policy
- Foreign Office
Translations [edit]
from a different country
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belonging to a different culture
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in a place where it does not belong
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Noun [edit]
foreign (plural foreigns)
- (informal) foreigner
- 2011 August 30, “White House Extremely Worried About People Saying Dumb Stuff on 9/11”, Gawker:
- The messaging instructions come in two sets: one for domestics, another for the foreigns.
- 2011 August 30, “White House Extremely Worried About People Saying Dumb Stuff on 9/11”, Gawker:
Statistics [edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: serious · possession · move · #955: foreign · native · members · fortune