List of English words of Arabic origin
From Free net encyclopedia
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.
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A
- admiral
- أمير cلبحر amiir al-baHr "commander of the sea"
- adobe
- الطوب aT-Tuub "the brick" (itself originally from Coptic tôbe)
- albacore
- الباكورة al-bakoura
- albatross
- البطرس possibly from al-qadus
- alchemy
- الكيمياء al-keemiyaa (from disputed origins; possibly from the Greek, from Ancient Egyptian "Khm" or "Khmt" meaning the "Black Land" as the Ancient Egyptians called their land, khemeia "alchemy" via Arabic or from Arabic origin al-kimiyya: the chemistry.)
- 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""
- algebra
- via Spanish álgebra; الجبر al-jabr from the name of the book of the Persian scientist al-Khwarizmi Hisab al-jabr w’al-muqabala : the Calculus of subtraction and equality which has exposed the first algorithm for solving a first order Equation.
- algorithm
- 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.
- alkali
- al-qaliy "calx"
- almanac
- al-manaakh, "the climate", possibly from Greek almenichiakon, "calendar"
- altair
- "aţ-ţaa'ir" الطير the bird
- amalgam
- ultimately from Greek malagma
- aniline
- ultimately from Sanskrit nilah "dark blue"
- 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 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"
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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 "House of Gemini"
- burnous/burnoose
- برنوس Arabic burnuus (itself from Latin byrrhus)
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C
- 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 khameese, A loose shirt, shift, or tunic ---possibly borrowed from Spanish (camisa) or French (chemise)
- carafe
- ghiraaf "handfuls of water"
- caramel
- , possibly from Arabic, more likely from Latin cannamellis "burnt honey"
- caraway
- karaawiyaa
- carmine
- , ultimately from Sanskrit krimiga
- carob
- kharroub
- chemistry
- (see "Alchemy").
- cipher
- صفر Sifr "zero"
- 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
- Crimson entered English during the 15th century from an Old Spanish version of the Arabic word for kermes
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D
- dhow
- dragoman
- ترجمان tarjuman
- decipher
- the word cipher means zero in Arabic, which was used as a prominent symbol in early secret codes.
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E
- elixir
- الإكسير al-'iksiir "philosopher's stone" (via Greek)
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F
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G
- garble
- gharbala "sift", ultimately from Latin cribellum "sieve"
- gauze
- qazz "raw silk"
- gazelle
- غزال ghazelle
- genie
- جنّ jinn
- gerbil
- yarbu
- giraffe
- زرافة zaraafah
- ghoul
- غول
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H
- harem
- حريم harim "sanctity" "wife"
- hashish
- حشيش Hashiish "grass"
- hegira
- hijrah "departure" - hajara "expatriation" "immigration"
- henna
- حنة hinna
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I
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J
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K
- kaaba
- الكعبة "The House of Allah (God)" in Islam.
- kermes
- قرمز qirmiz (via Spanish; ultimately from Sanskrit krmi-ja "worm-produced")
- kohl
- kohl"congenital blackness of the eyelids"
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L
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M
- macrame
- miqrama "embroidered veil"
- magazine
- makhaazin "storehouses," possibly from Crusades
- marzipan
- mawthaban "coin featuring a seated figure"
- mascara
- uncertain origin; possibly from maskhara "buffoon" or from an unknown pre-Indo-European 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
- manarah, something enlightening its surrounding
- mocha
- مخا al-mukhaa "Mocha" [Yemen]
- mohair
- mukhayyar "having the choice"
- monsoon
- mawsim "season" (via Portuguese)
- muslin
- based on a city in Iraq (Mosul) where cotton fabric was made
- myrrh
- from Greek, ultimately from one of the Semitic languages, but which one is unclear; cf. Arabic مر murr "bitter"
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N
- nadir
- - nazeer "parallel"
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O
- Ottoman
- uthman
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P
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Q
- qibla
- القبلة Qiblah, direction of prayer towards Mekka"
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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".
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S
- safari
- سفاري
- sahara
- صحراء sa-huh-rá "desert"
- sash
- شاش shaash "muslin"
- satin
- probably zaytuni "of Zaytun"
- sequin
- sikkah "die, coin"
- shrub
- as in the drink
- sirocco
- sharqiyah, "eastern"
- soda
- From sudaa, meaning headache.
- sofa
- suffa whole
- sorbet
- same origin as sherbet (via Persian & French) "for rose water drink" "shurab" "sherbat"
- sultan
- سلطان sultaan "ruler"
- suq
- سوق "Middle Eastern marketplace"
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T
- tabby
- based on a city in Iraq where striped fabric was made
- tahini
- tahinia Arabic word derived from another Arabic word "tahn" which means to grind
- tamarind
- tamr-hindi "date of India"
- tarboush
- طربوش
- tare
- when speaking of weight
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U
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V
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W
- wadi
- "valley"
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X
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Z
- zenith
- samt ar-ra’s "zenith, vertex"
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See also
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