1. A word or phrase created by translating the parts of a foreign word or expression into the native language, rather than borrowing the foreign word directly.
Usage: linguistics; also called calque or loan translation

1. To create a loanshift; to translate and adapt a foreign word or phrase into native language elements.
Usage: linguistics; less common than the noun form

Examples

• The English phrase 'skyscraper' is a loanshift of the German 'Wolkenkratzer,' translating the concept rather than borrowing the word.
• French 'gratte-ciel' is a loanshift meaning 'sky-scraper,' created by translating the English concept.
• The German word 'Fernweh' was loanshifted into English as 'distance-pain' to convey homesickness for a place one has never been.
• Linguists study loanshifts to understand how languages adapt foreign concepts through translation.
• Spanish 'rascacielos' is a loanshift of the English 'skyscraper,' literally meaning 'scrape-sky.'