List of English words of Arabic origin

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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 البحار amiir al-bihar "commander of the seas"
adobe: الطوب aT-Tuub "the brick" (itself originally from Coptic tôbe)
albacore: الباكورة al-bakoura
albatross(or algatross): from Portuguese alcatraz.
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
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 arabic scientist Jaber bin haian (جابر بن حيان ) book of the Persian scientist al-Khwarizmi Hisab al-jabr w’al-muqabala

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 "the calcined ashes"
almanac: al-manaakh, "the climate", possibly from Greek almenichiakon, "calendar"
altair: "aţ-ţaa'ir" الطير the flying one
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"

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)

C

coffee: قهوة
caliph: khalifah

camel: - جمل jemel , 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.
cotton: قطن quTn
crimson: Crimson entered English during the 15th century from an Old Spanish version of the Arabic word for kermes

D

dhow
dragoman: ترجمان tarjuman
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 Latin)

F

G

garble: gharbala "sift", ultimately from Latin cribellum "sieve"
gauze: qazz "raw silk"
gazelle: غزال ghazelle
genie: جنّ jinn
gerbil: yarbu
giraffe: زرافة zaraafah giraffe
ghoul: غول

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: 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: 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.

M

macrame: miqrama "embroidered veil"
magazine: makhaazin "storehouses," possibly from Crusades
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: 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"

N

nadir: نظير nazeer "parallel"

O

Ottoman: uthman

P

Q

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: 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"
sofa: suffa whole
sorbet: same origin as sherbet (via Persian & French) "for rose water drink" "shurab" "sherbat"
souk: سوق "Middle Eastern marketplace"
sultan: سلطان sultaan "ruler"
syrup: شراب sharab "drink"

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

List of English words of Arabic origin

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Z

See also