There really is no such thing as a pure language, just as the idea of a pure race is a myth. We humans are simply too connected to each other to live -- or speak -- completely insular lives.
Everywhere we go, we pick up bits and pieces of the people, language, and cultures we visit and carry them home with us. We also emigrate, taking with us our ways and words to our new home.
If we were to take a poll of the most popular kind of pizza in the US, surely pepperoni would rank at or near the top. But you'll be sorely disappointed if you order a peperoni pizza in Italy and it lands totally meatless on your table. This is because the word actually refers to peppers, as in bell peppers, banana peppers, etc.
If you order your apple pie a la mode in France, all you'll get is a really puzzled look, as the phrase means "in style" or "in fashion". And if you're a little surprised at how small the portion is of the entrée you ordered, that's because the word actually means what it looks like: the entrance, or first course, of a meal.
Call me a snob if you will, but I just don't get why, in a nation of immigrants who actually brought these words with them, we let these simple mistakes get passed from one generation to the next. But I'll get off my high horse. (Or is it a soapbox?) I'll get over it, I promise.
My latest linguistic amusement has been learning the actual meaning of some of the hundreds of types and shapes of Italian pasta. We all know that farfalle are butterflies, and spirali are, well, spirals; and spaghetti, which is plural, are "little strings". (Speaking of plural, this is for free: all those dozens of Italian words you know but didn't know it, that end in an "i"? They're all plural. Paparazzi, graffiti, broccoli...but I digress.)
But are you familiar with strozzapreti, literally meaning "priest stranglers"?
There are gnocchi, which some think is derived from the word for "knot", as in knots in wood; others think the word comes from the word for "knuckle". Bucatini are "little holes" because they're round and hollow inside. And cannelloni are "big reeds".
They just sound so much more exotic in Italian. Makes me feel sorry for the Italians themselves, because all they have to look forward to is going home to cook and eat twins (gemelli).