Geographic Origins of Everyday Words and Concepts
Discover the fascinating places that gave their names to common objects, foods, concepts, and more.
Nankeen
- A sturdy yellow or buff cotton cloth.
- A Chinese porcelain with a blue-and-white pattern.
Origin: Nanjing (Nankeen), China
Nantua Sauce
A cream sauce flavored with shellfish.
Origin: Nantua, France
Nashville
The country music industry.
Origin: Nashville, the capital of Tennessee
Neanderthal
Crude or boorish.
Origin: Neanderthal, Germany
New England Clam Chowder
A thick soup made with clams, onions, salt pork, potatoes, and milk.
Origin: New England
Norfolk Jacket
A belted jacket with two box pleats in front and back.
Origin: Norfolk, England
Nova
Cured and smoked salmon, specifically salmon that has been cured in a mixture of salt and sugar and smoked at a low temperature.
Origin: Short for Nova Scotia salmon
Opuntia
Any of various cacti.
Origin: Opus, Greece
Organza
A sheer, stiff fabric.
Origin: Organzi, Uzbekistan
Orvieto
A usually dry Italian white wine.
Origin: Orvieto, Italy
Panama Red
Marijuana of Panamanian origin that is slightly red and very potent.
Origin: Panama
Parmesan
A hard, sharp, dry Italian cheese.
Origin: Parma, Italy
Persian Cat
A type of domestic cat.
Origin: The Persian Empire
Pilsner & Pilsener
A light, golden lager beer.
Origin: Pilsen, Czech Republic, where the beer was first brewed
Piker
A cautious gambler.
Origin: Pike County, Missouri
Port
A rich, sweet fortified wine.
Origin: Oporto, a city of northwest Portugal
Pomeranian
A breed of small dogs.
Origin: Pomerania, a historical region of north-central Europe bordering on the Baltic Sea
Quiche Lorraine
A quiche containing cheese and bacon bits.
Origin: Lorraine, France
Rialto
- A theatrical district.
- A marketplace.
Origin: Rialto, an island of Venice
Rioja
A wine, especially a dry red wine from this region.
Origin: The Rioja region of Spain
Rugby
A form of football.
Origin: Rugby School, England
Russian Blue
Any of a breed of domestic cats with bluish-gray fur.
Origin: Russia
Samaritan
A person who selflessly helps others.
Origin: Samaria, Palestine
Satsuma
- A tangerine native to Japan.
- A Japanese porcelain.
Origin: Satsuma, a peninsula of southwest Kyushu, Japan
Seltzer
A natural effervescent spring water of high mineral content.
Origin: Selters, a village in central Germany
Shasta Daisy
A hybrid daisy, having large white daisy-like flower heads.
Origin: Mount Shasta, California
Solo Man
An extinct hominid primate known from fossil remains of the late Pleistocene Epoch.
Origin: The Solo River of central Java
Springfield
A type of rifle.
Origin: Springfield, Massachusetts.
Suede
Leather with a soft, napped surface.
Origin: Sweden
Swiss Cheese
A hard cheese characterized by its elastic texture.
Origin: Switzerland.
Tabasco
A trademark used for a very spicy sauce made from a strong-flavored red pepper.
Origin: Tabasco River, Mexico.
Tequila
An alcoholic drink distilled from the fermented juice of the Central American century plant, Agave tequilana.
Origin: Tequila, a town of west-central Mexico
Tokay
A variety of grape.
Origin: Tokay, a town of eastern Hungary
Ulster
A loose, long overcoat made of heavy, rugged fabric and often belted.
Origin: Ulster, a historical region and ancient kingdom of Northern Ireland
Valencia Orange
A sweet orange having few seeds and a thin skin.
Origin: Valencia, Spain
Valpolicella
A dry red Italian table wine.
Origin: Valpolicella, a district in northern Italy
Vichy Water
A sparkling mineral water.
Origin: Vichy, France
Vienna Sausage
A small frankfurter sausage.
Origin: Vienna, Austria
Virginia Ham
A lean, hickory-smoked ham with dark red meat.
Origin: The state of Virginia
Waldorf Salad
A salad of diced raw apples, celery, and walnuts mixed with mayonnaise.
Origin: The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City
Watergate
A political scandal.
Origin: Watergate, a building complex in Washington, D.C., where documents were found that led ultimately to the resignation of Richard Nixon as President of the United States.
Welsh Corgi
A breed of small dog.
Origin: Wales
Wensleydale
A mild, white, friable cheese of English origin.
Origin: Wensleydale, a valley in North Yorkshire
Whitehall
The British Civil Service.
Origin: Whitehall Palace, the chief residence of the Court in London
White House
The executive branch of the U.S. government.
Origin: The White House, the executive mansion of the President of the United States
Wiener
A type of sausage.
Origin: Wiener, ‘of Vienna, Austria’
Windsor Chair
A wooden chair having a high spoked back, outward-slanting legs connected by a crossbar, and a saddle seat.
Origin: Windsor, a municipal borough of south-central England
Xanadu
An idyllic, beautiful place.
Origin: Xanadu, a place in “Kubla Khan,” a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Yorkshire Terrier
Any of a breed of small dog.
Origin: Yorkshire
Zarzuela
A usually comic Spanish operetta.
Origin: Spanish, probably from La Zarzuela, a royal residence near Madrid where it was first performed