These are the questions that keep me up at night

[conuly]

I can't figure out if the word "wanderlust" is a loanword or a calque. I think it must be a calque if we say it like we'd say an English word spelled that way, and a loanword if we say it like we'd say a German word spelled that way (or like we think Germans would say it, anyway).

Poll #19414 Wanderlust

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 125

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How do you say the word "wanderlust"?

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With a w at the beginning
112 (89.6%)

With a v at the beginning
6 (4.8%)

I'm not sure. I've never actually said it or heard it said
7 (5.6%)

I'm not familiar with this word
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[conuly]

Riiiiiiiiight, but the literal translation of "wander" is "wander", and the literal - if somewhat old-fashioned - translation of "lust" is "lust", so.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Wanderlust was definitely borrowed from the German, but both wander and lust are Old English:

Origin and Etymology of wander:
Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian; akin to Middle High German wandern to wander, Old English windan to wind, twist

Origin and Etymology of lust:
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German lust pleasure and perhaps to Latin lascivus wanton