Baguette

Language: French

• What it means: A long, thin, crusty loaf of bread.

• Word origin: The word originally means ‘stick’ or ‘baton’. Because of this, in modern French “baguette” has several common meanings. First: The beloved, quintessentially French bread. Second: Chopsticks. Third: A wand. Fourth: Some other kind of stick.

• Sample sentences: “La baguette choisit son sorcier, Mr. Potter.” (The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter.) Context is key: If you’re out at a restaurant having pho, asking “Avez-vous des baguettes?” will get you chopsticks; at a music store, you’ll be steered to the drum section; at a boulangerie… you’ll get the bread you expect. For instance, La Baguetterie (in the Pigalle neighborhood of Paris) is a drum store—not a bakery.  

• Does it work in English? Referring to the bread: Mais oui! Referring to wands or any other type of stick: Not so much.