Calquing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The method of forming a new term by literally translating the components of a foreign word is a common linguistic technique
2. This approach involves creating a new expression by translating the individual parts of an existing term from one language to another
3. The practice of constructing a new word by directly translating its parts from another language is a notable phenomenon in linguistics

Etymology: "Calquing" is the present participle and gerund of "calque", a word that began as a term for copying a drawing. The French "calque" means "copy" or "tracing", from the verb "calquer", "to copy, trace". That verb came into French from Italian "calcare", which goes back to Latin "calcāre", "to tread". The link is the old technique of pressing a drawing onto a new sheet and following its lines, so the copy is made by treading over the original's marks. English borrowed "calque" as a linguistic term, and the verb "calquing" describes the act of making a new word by translating each part of a foreign one. German "Wolkenkratzer" becoming English "skyscraper" is the usual example of the process, though in linguistic usage the translated element is the point, not the sound. "Calk", the English spelling that also comes from "calquer", kept the older sense of tracing a drawing.

Synonyms: loan translation