What is known as the Jamaican language, ‘Jamaican Patois’, is an English-based creole with West African influences.

Often we assume that all the words we use that are not present in standard English are coined terms or from an African language.

Our Today shares with you five Jamaican words that are also English words.

Frock

The word ‘frock’ has been used to refer to women’s and girls’ dressess since the 15th Century. Although less commonly used in English-speaking countries today, it’s still an everyday word in Jamaica.

Whatnot

It’s not just something our parents and grandparents never gave a name to. Stemming from an old aristocratic passion for displaying objects within the home for when guests visit, in the 1800s the whatnot was produced as a type of furniture for that purpose.

Breakfront

A breakfront, is a piece of furniture consisting of three sections. The word breakfront can be attribute to any furniture, especially to bookcases and cabinets. Breakfront originally referred to a particular furniture design, but is now commonly used in reference to the entire piece of furniture. 

Gristle

Fans of Jamaican Jerk Pork know that some like it with fat, some like it lean and some like it with gristle. What most might not know is that gristle is an old English word that means ‘cartilage’.

Inviegle

This is mostly a word that our parents or grandparents would use, but it’s actually a real word and it means ‘to use deception or flattery’ and dates as far back as the 15th Century.