[Dr. Sivana]

There was once a time that French was the premier language for science and diplomacy but it been overtaken by English. Why? I think because the French wanted to keep the language “pure” while English was allowed to change.

I think a greater factor was the power, reach and wealth of the British Empire.

[nicollo]

During the 16th-17th centuries, English writers and scholars added an enormous number of Greek and Latin words to the language. Modern English is a combination of Old English, French, Latin and Greek (plus stray words picked up by the Brits from the colonies), thus we have synonymous words from distinct origins, such as "think" (Old English), "ponder" (French) and "contemplate" (Latin).

So, to CIB-173RDABN's point, by its nature, English is most adaptable, which makes it versatile, nuanced, and frequently confusing.