origami
or-ih-GAH-mee · noun
JapaneseEnglish
Origin
English borrowed "origami" directly from Japanese 折り紙 (origami), which is built from 折り (ori, "to fold") and 紙 (kami, "paper").
Journey
The word entered English as a straightforward borrowing from Japanese, carrying its meaning intact rather than shifting over time.
Related words
The facts don't point to any English cognate — "ori" and "kami" don't have known relatives in English, so the word stands on its own.
More words
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