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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
- admiral
- أمير البحر amiir al-baHr "commander of the sea"
- adobe
- الطوب aT-Tuub "the brick" (itself originally from Coptic tôbe)
- albacore
- الباكورة al-bakoura
- albatross
- possibly from al-qadus
- alchemy
- الكيمياء al-keemiyaa (from disputed origins; possibly from the Greek khemeia "alchemy" via Arabic or from a purely arabic origin al-kammiyah : the quantity).
- alcohol
- , via Spanish alcohol الكحول al-kuHuul (original meaning "eyeshadow", from a root meaning "dark"; cf. kohl)
- alcove
- al-qubbah, "the vault"
- alembic
- al-anbiq "the cup/container holding water"
- aldebaran
- al-dabaran "the follower""
- alfalfa
- al-fasfasa "fodder"
- algebra
- via Spanish álgebra; الجبر al-jabr from the name of the book of Al-Khwarezmi Hisab al-jabr wa al-muqabala : the Calculus of substraction and equality which has exposed the first algorithm for solving a first order Equation.
- algol
- al-ghul "the ghoul"
- algorithm
- from Al-Khwarezmi who wrote Hisab al-jabr wa al-muqabala the Calculus of substraction and equality which has exposed the first Algorithm for solving a first order equation, see also algebra.
- alkali
- al-qaliy "calx"
- Allah
- الله Allah "God"
- almagest
- al-majisti
- almanac
- al-manaakh, "the climate"
- altair
- "the bird"
- amalgam
- ultimately from Greek malagma
- amber
- anbar, "ambergris"
- aniline
- ultimately from Sanskrit nilah "dark blue"
- antimony
- possibly from al-íthmid (="antimony trisulphide"), although this is not certain
- apricot
- al-birqouq
- arrack
- al-araq
- arsenal
- دار الصناعة daar sinaa`a, "house of manufacturing"
- artichoke
- via Italian from Arabic الخرشوف al-khurshouf (which, ironically, was reborrowed back into Lebanese Arabic as Ardthi-Shoki أرضي شوكي)
- assegai
- az-zaghayah originally from Berber
- assassin
- - حشّاشين al-Hashshashin "users of hashish" (from the drugs used by the original Assassins of Alamut)
- azimuth
- as-sumut "the paths"
B
- baklava
- From Arabic baqlawa, meaning made with "nuts," through Turkish and Greek.
- bedouin
- - بدويين badawiyyiin "nomads"
- benzoin
- لبان جاوي "Frankincense of Java," an organic chemical solvent from a resin in an Asian tree.
- betelgeuse
- بيت الجوزاء
- burnous /burnoose
- Arabic burnuus (itself from Latin byrrhus)
C
- calabash
-
- caliber
- qaalib "mold, model"
- caliph
-
- camise
- khameese, A loose shirt, shift, or tunic
- camphor
- كافور kaafuur (via Medieval Latin), probably from Malay kapur.
- carafe
- ghiraaf "handfuls of water"
- caramel
- , possibly from Arabic, more likely from Latin cannamellis "burnt honey"
- carat
- Qirat
- caraway
- karaawiyaa
- carmine
- , ultimately from Sanskrit krimiga
- carob
- kharroub
- casbah
- Qasabah
- chemistry
- (see "Alchemy").
- cipher
- صفر Sifr "zero"
- coffee
- قهوة qahwah (via Turkish kahve)
- copt
- Qibt, possibly from Greek Aigyptios, but ultimately from Ancient Egyptian Hiku Pitah, the House of the God Pitah.
- cork
- qoorq, ultimately from Latin quercus "oak"
- cotton
- قطن quTn
- crimson
- qirmizi, from qirmiz "red dye" (see "Kermes")
- crocus
-
D
- damask
- from the city of Damascus, Syria
- dhow
-
- dragoman
- Turjjoman
- decipher
- the word cipher means zero in Arabic, which was used as a prominent symbol in early secret codes.
E
- elixir
- الإكسير al-'iksiir "philosopher's stone" (via Greek)
F
- fatwa
- فتوى fatwa, religious opinion
- fellah
- fallah, فلاح "peasant"
G
- garble
- gharbala "sift", ultimately from Latin cribellum "sieve"
- gauze
- qazz "raw silk"
- gazelle
- غزال ghazaal
- genie
- جنّ jinn
- gerbil
- yarbu
- ghoul
- غول ghuul
- gibraltar
- Jibal Tariq, the "mountain of Traiq" after the general who led the Muslim conquest of Spain.
- giraffe
- زرافة zaraafah
H
- harem
- حريم h'aram "prohibited, set apart"
- hashish
- حشيش Hashiish "grass"
- hazard
- الزهر az-zahr “the die”
- hegira
- hijrah "departure" - hajara "separate, go"
I
- imam
-
J
- jar
- جرة jarrah "large earthen vase"
- jerboa
- Jarbou'
- jihad
- جهاد jihad "struggle"
- jin
- jinn
- Jinn
- جنّ jinn "spirits"
K
- kabob
- kabab possibly from Persian.
- kermes
- قرمز qirmiz (via Spanish; ultimately from Sanskrit krmi-ja "worm-produced")
- kismet
- via Persian, qisma "portion , destiny, fate"
- kohl
- kohl
L
- lacquer
-
- lake pigments
- lute
- العود al-`uud "the lute", The fore-runner of the guitar.
M
- macrame
- miqrama "embroidered veil"
- magazine
- makhaazin "storehouses", possibly from Crusades
- marzipan
- mawthaban "coin featuring a seated figure"
- mascara
- maskhara "buffoon"
- massage
- from French, ultimately from Arabic massa "to stroke"
- mastaba
- mastabah
- mattress
- مطرح maTraH "place where something is thrown, mat, cushion"
- mecca
- مكّة Makkah
- minaret
- manarah, nar "fire"
- mocha
- مخا al-mukhaa "Mocha" [Yemen]
- mohair
- mukhayyar "having the choice"
- monsoon
- mawsim "season" (via Portuguese)
- mosque
- مسجد masjid (via Italian)
- mummy
- mumiyaa "embalmed body"
- myrrh
- from Greek, ultimately from one of the Semitic languages, but which one is unclear; cf. Arabic مر murr "bitter"
N
- nadir
- - nazeer "parallel"
O
- Ottoman
- uthman
P
Q
- qibla
- Qiblah, direction
R
- racket
- raaha "palm of the hand"
- ream
- rizma "bale, bundle"
- rigel
- The 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
- سفر from Arabic سفر safar "travel" through Swahili
- saffron
- زعفران za`faraan, maybe Persian
- sahara
- صحراء çah'ra "desert"
- sash
- شاش shaash "muslin"
- scarlet
- sequin
- sikkah "die, coin"
- satin
- probably zaytuni "of Zaytun"
- sherbet
- شربات sharbaat "drinks", same root as "syrup"
- shrub
- as in the drink
- sirocco
- sharqiyah, "eastern"
- soda
- From sudaa, meaning headache.
- sofa
- suffa whole
- sorbet
- same origin as sherbet (via French)
- sultan
- سلطان sulTaan "ruler"
- sumac
- سماق Simmak or Persian Sumak
- suq
- ﻖﻭﺳ "Middle Eastern marketplace"
- syrup
- شراب sharaab "beverage, drink" (via French and Spanish/Portuguese)
T
- tabby
- based on a city in Iraq where striped fabric was made
- talc
- talq
- tamarind
- tamr-hindi "date of India"
- tambourine
- via Persian, tanbur a small "tambour"
- tarboush
-
- tare
- when speaking of weight
- tariff
- ta`riifa "notification, price list"
- typhoon
- طوفان Tuufaan "flood", itself from Persian Tufaan or Greek Typhon; also affected by Cantonese taai-fung
U
V
W
- wadi
X
Z
- zenith
- samt ar-ra’s "zenith, vertex"
- zero
- صفر sifr empty, via Italian zefiro.
See also
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