Some of the words have their American meaning in other languages too, but not as their primary meaning. Here's what they mean elsewhere (primarily) and what they mean in American English (primarily).
| Expression | Meaning in the US | Meaning elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| ante | before (something) as in "Hanibal ante portas", or "ante meridiem". Prefix in words like antedate, antediluvian. | (in poker) the initial contribution that each player makes to the pot |
| athlete | who engages in athletics, or is built as one who does | sportsman, pro or not |
| athletics | track and field, plus gymnastics | a contest between athletes |
| balance | equilibrium | difference between credits and debits, the remainder which prevents state of balance. |
| billion | 1e12, i.e. million millions | 1e9, i.e. thousand millions |
| caution | what you pay for the bottle (and get a refund for) | attention |
| cement | powder which makes the gravel stick in the concrete | the concrete (before it goes stiff), so cement is made of cement, gravel and water, quite recursively. |
| classified | divided into classes | classified as secret, top secret or worse |
| commission | committee, special group delegated to consider some matter | middleman's fee (sr: provizija); state of being in good working order and ready for operation; to order something (to be produced) compass |
| compass | an indicator pointing to the north | device used for drawing circles |
| concrete | opposite from abstract | building material (cement, gravel, water) |
| condominium | division of power between simultaneous rulers | (an apartment in) a house in shared ownership |
| developer | Someone who contracts for and supervises the construction of a building; a chemical solution for developing film | programmer; investor in buildings |
| development | Act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining; a process in which something passes by degrees to a more advanced or mature stage | making more buildings; producing software |
| elevator | machine to move loose load (such as corn) to a higher place | lift |
| eventually | opposite of "certain to happen", possibly | in the end (of story, of event chain) |
| graphical | using drawings and images but without the full assortment of paint | containing sex or violence ("due to graphical nature of this feature presentation, parental guidance is advised") |
| gross | wholesale, in large amounts ("en gross"), dozen dozens | disgust(ing) |
| hall | a huge room (as in "music hall", "city hall") | corridor, a narrow room connecting other rooms |
| ottoman | a flat sofa | the little stool to lift your legs, a taburet |
| pathetic | having a capacity to move one to either compassionate or contemptuous pity | deserving or inciting pity ("Beethoven wrote one miserable symphony, really pathetic") - the first meaning is almost entirely forgotten. |
| premises | the statements used as parts of a sylogism | piece of land, or a building, which belongs to someone, who then has the right to tell anyone to "leave the premises". |
| preservative | condom | conserving agent |
| provision | middleman's fee (v. commission) | stipulated condition; process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening |
| theatre | house where drama and comedy are played by live actors | house where they run films |