List of English words of Arabic origin
Words of Arabic origin have entered the English language and many European languages. One of the primary routes that they have entered other languages is via the Spanish language, heavily influenced by the Arabic of al-Andalus.
A
- aba
- عباءة abaáh "A loose-fitting sleeveless garment of this fabric worn by Bedouins."(MWCD)[1]
- admiral
- أمير البحار amiir al-bihar "commander of the seas" from Old French. amiral, admirail, via med. Latin from Arabic 'amīr 'commander'(OED)[2].
- adobe
- الطوب aT-Tuub "the brick" from Spanish., from adobar 'to plaster', from Arabic aṭ-ṭūb, from al 'the' + ṭūb 'bricks' (OED)[3]
- afreet
- عِفريت ''ifreet' same as english meaning evil spirit or powerful demon (OED)[4] .
- albacore
- الباكورة al-bakoura from Portuguese albacora, from Arab. al-bakūra, perhaps from al 'the' + bakūr 'premature, precocious'(OED)[5].
- albatross(or algatross)
- from Spanish and Portuguese alcatraz, from Arabic. al-ġaṭṭās الغطاس'the diver'(OED)[6].
- alchemy
- الكيمياء al-keemiyaa Middle English via Old French and Latin from Arabic alkīmiyā', from al 'the' + kīmiyā' (originally from Greek khēmia, khēmeia 'art of transmuting metals') (OED)[7].
- alcohol
- French or from medieval Latin, from Arabic al-kuḥl الكحول'the kohl'(OED)[8] .
- alcove
- from French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba, from Arabic al-ḳubba 'the vault' (OED)[9].
- Aldebaran
- al-dabaran "the follower" (MWCD)[10].
- alembic
- al-anbiq "the cup/container holding water" Middle English, via Old French from medieval Latin alembicus, from Arabic al-'anbīḳ, from al- 'the' + 'anbīḳ 'still' (from Gk ambix, ambik- 'cup') (OED) [11]
- algebra
- The word algebra comes from Arabic al-jabr 'the mending of broken parts', entering Middle English, via Italian, Spanish, and medieval Latin, in the sense 'the setting of broken bones'. The modern mathematical sense comes from the title of a book, ilm al-jabr wa'l-muḳābala 'the science of restoring what is missing and equating like with like', by the 9th-century Muslim mathematician Abū Jafar Muhammad ibn Mūsa. His nickname, al-Ḵwārizmī (literally 'the man from Ḵwārizm', now Khiva in Uzbekistan) is the root of the word algorithm (OED)[12]
- algorithm
- (denoting the Arabic or decimal notation of numbers): variant of Middle English algorism, via Old French from medieval Latin algorismus, Arabic al-Ḵwārizmī 'the man of Ḵwārizm' from the Persian scientist al-Khwarizmi who wrote Hisab al-jabr w’al-muqabala the Calculus of subtraction and equality which has exposed the first Algorithm for solving a first order equation, see also algebra(OED)[13].
- alkali
- Middle English (denoting a saline substance derived from the ashes of plants): from medieval Latin from Arabic al-ḳalī القلي, from ḳalā قلى'fry, roast'(OED)[14].
- alkaline
- Derivative of alkali (OED) [15]
- Allah
- الله "allah" or "ell'ah", meaning god.
- almanac
- al-manaakh, "the climate", possibly from Greek almenichiakon, "calendar"
- Altair
- "aţ-ţaa'ir" الطير the flying one
- aniline
- al-nili from Persian 'nili' meaning indigo, ultimately from Sanskrit nilah "dark blue"
- arrack
- al-araq
- arsenal
- دار الصناعة daar sinaa`a, "house of manufacturing"
- artichoke
- via Italian 'articiocco' (among other forms) from Arabic الخرشوف al-khurshouf (OED) (The word 'artichoke' was subsequently reborrowed back into Palestinian and Lebanese Arabic as Ardhi-Shoki أرضي شوكي)
- assassin
- from حشاشين the Hashshashin. The word means "those who use hashish" (cannabis resin). According to Crusader histories, that group used to ingest hashish before carrying out military or assassination operations, in order to be fearless.
- assegai
- az-zaghayah originally from Berber
- average
- disputed origin; possibly from 'awira "to be damaged," or from Italian avere or French aveir, "property", from Latin habere, "to have"
- azimuth
- as-sumutالسموت "the paths"
- azure
- Middle English 'asur' > Old French 'azur' > Old Spanish 'azul' > Arabic lazeward "لازورد" from Persian 'lajevard'
B
- bedouin
- - بدويين badawiyyiin "nomads"
- benzoin
- لبان جاوي "Frankincense of Java," an organic chemical solvent from a resin in an Asian tree.
- betelgeuse
- بيت الجوزاء beit al-jeuza "House of Gemini"
- burnous/burnoose
- برنوس Arabic burnuus (itself from Latin byrrhus)
C
- caliph
- خليفة ḫalīfah(khalifah) meaning successor (of Prophet Muhammad)
- camel
- - جمل jamal , from Latin camellus, from one of the Semitic languages (which one is uncertain, but the term is found in Latin before Arabic)
- camise
- قميص qamees, A loose shirt, shift, or tunic which has given Spanish (camisa) and French (chemise), see also Salwar kameez.
- caramel
- possibly from Arabic, more likely from Latin cannamellis "burnt honey"
- caraway
- كراوية karaawiyaa
- carmine
- ultimately from Sanskrit krimiga
- carob
- خرّوب ḫarrūb "locust, carob bean"
- checkmate
- shah maat "the king has died", originally from Persian
- chemistry
- (see "alchemy").
- cipher
- صفر Ṣifr "zero"
- coffee
- قهوة qahwah meaning coffee
- copt
- Qibṭ, from Greek Aigyptios and ultimately from Ancient Egyptian hwt-k3-ptḥ (possibly pronounced *Hāwit-kāʔ-Pitáḥ), the House of the God Pitah.
- cotton
- قطن quṭn
- crimson
- Crimson entered English during the 15th century from an Old Spanish version of the Arabic word for kermes from Persian 'ghermez' meaning red
D
- dhow
- الدّهو ؛ الدّاو : مركب شراعي , Al-Daw.
- dragoman
- ترجمان tarjuman. from Amaraic turgemānā, from Akkadian
[Collins English Dictionary (1979)].
- decipher
- from 'cipher' in the sense of (hidden) symbol. cf 'cipher' above.
E
- elixir
- الإكسير al-'iksiir "philosopher's stone" Middle English: via medieval Latin from Arabic. al-'iksīr الإكسير, from al 'the' + 'iksīr from Gk xērion 'powder for drying wounds'(OED)
- emir
- أمير, ameer meaning commander or ruler from French émir, via Arabic. 'amīr أمير(OED).
F
- fellah
- فلاّح, fallah meaning farmer
- fustic
- الفسطيط أو الفستيق fosteet, ultimately from Greek Πιστακη pistakë: 'pistachio tree'
G
- garble
- gharbala "sift", ultimately from Latin cribellum "sieve"
- gauze
- qazz from Persian kazh (كژ) meaning "raw silk".
- gazelle
- غزال ghazalle
- genie
- جنّ jinn meaning spirit
- gerbil
- yarbu
- giraffe
- زرافة zaraafah giraffe
- ghoul: غول ghul
H
- harem :حريم harim "sanctity" "wife"
- hashish
- حشيش Hashiish "grass"
- hegira
- hijrah "departure" - hajara "expatriation" "immigration"
- henna
- حنة hinna
I
- imam :"front man" "leader of prayer" "leader"
J
- jar
- جرة jarrah "large earthen vase"
- jerboa
- جربوع Jarbou'
- jihad
- جهاد jihad "struggle"
K
- kaaba
- الكعبة "The House of Allah (God)" in Islam.
- kermes
- قرمز qirmiz (via Spanish; ultimately from Sanskrit krmi-ja "worm-produced")
- kohl
- كحل kohl"congenital blackness of the eyelids"
L
- lacquer (or Lake)
- loofah
- from the Egyptian Arabic word lufah.
- lute
- العود al-`uud "the lute," the fore-runner of the guitar.
- lemon
- الليمون, From Middle English lymon > Middle French limon > Spanish limón > Arabic laymoon ليمون from Persian leemo (ليمو)
M
- macrame
- miqrama "embroidered veil"
- magazine
- makhaazin "storehouses,"
- mascara
- uncertain origin; possibly from maskhara "buffoon" or from an unknown language. In modern Persian maskhara means to ridicule
- massage
- from French, ultimately from either Arabic massa "to stroke" or Latin massa "dough"
- mastaba
- mastabah
- mattress
- مطرح maTraH "place where something is thrown, mat, cushion"
- mecca
- مكّة Makkah
- minaret
- منارة manarah, something enlightening its surrounding
- mocha
- مخا al-mukhaa "Mocha" [ Yemen ]
- mohair
- مخير mukhayyar "having the choice"
- monsoon
- موسم mawsim "season" (via Portuguese)
- mummy
- مومياء' moom'ee'yaa' embalmed corpse.
- muslin
- based on a city in Iraq (Mosul) where cotton fabric was made
- muslim
- مسلم''musslim'
- myrrh
- from Greek, ultimately from one of the Semitic languages, but which one is unclear; cf. Arabic مر murr "bitter",
N
- nadir
- نظير nazeer "parallel or counterpart"
O
- Ottoman
- عثمان uthman
P
- popinjay
- ببفاء , From Middle English papejay or papengay > Middle French papegai and papejai > from Arabic 'babagaa' ببّفاء
Q
- qantar
- قنطار 'qentar'
R
- racket
- راحة raaha "palm of the hand"
- ream
- رزمة ruzma "bale, bundle"
- realgar
- via mediaeval Latin from rahj al-ghar
- rigel
- رجل rijlThe star's name comes from its location at the "left foot" of Orion. It is a contraction of "Rijl Jauza al-Yusra," this being Arabic for "left foot of the Central One".
S
- safari
- via Swahili from سفاري safari meaning "to travel"
- saffron :زعفران zaa'faran species of crocus plant bearing orange stigmas and purple flowers.
- sahara
- صحراء sa-huh-rá "desert"
- sash
- شاش shaash "muslin"
- satin
- probably zaytuni "of Zaytun"
- sequin
- sikkah "die, coin"
- sherbet, sorbet, shrub, syrup
- شراب sharab meaning "drink"
- sirocco
- sharqiyah, "eastern"
- soda
- suwwādah "a kind of plant"
- sofa
- suffa whole
- souk
- سوق suq "Middle Eastern marketplace"
- sultan
- سلطان sultaan meaning "ruler"
T
- tabby
- based on a city in Iraq where striped fabric was made
- tahini
- tahinia Arabic word derived from another Arabic word "tahn" طحن which means to grind
- tamarind
- تمر هندي tamr-hindi "date of India"
- tarboush
- طربوش Tarbush
- tare
- via Latin from tarhah - 'something discarded'
- tariff :تعريفة tarriffa meaning tax or fee (for government mostly).
- tazza
- طاسة tassa which is a shallow saucer-like dish.
U
V
- vizier
- وزير wazeer meaning minister or official, adviser, ultimately from middle persian (pahlavi) "Vacheer" meaning minister or judge.
W
- wadi :وادي wadi valley
X
- xebec
- الشبّاكة, From French chebec > Italian sciabecco > Arabic shabbak الشبّاك
Z
- zenith
- samt ar-ra’s "zenith, vertex"
See also
References
- Concise Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Oxford Press 2004.
- Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (MWCD)Online[16].
Related External Links
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