Arabic words in English

Several hundred English words came from Arabic. Most arrived the middle ages, but they are still coming.

Arabic was also a conduit for words from Persian, Malay and African languages into English, because words of those languages had to pass through Arabic speaking countries on their way to England. Because Arabic-speaking countries are a long way from England, usually they passed through other languages before making a home in England. These other languages include Middle French, Middle Latin, Spanish, and Italian.

The oldest Arabic words in English mostly have to do with goods and trade with Arabic-speaking countries.

Most of ancient Greek learning was recorded in the middle ages only in Arabic, and came known to the English world during the early renaissance from Arabic sources. Arabic also preserved some ancient Egyptian and Aramaic words.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, due to European and British expansion, many political words of Arabic origin appeared in English.

In modern times, many more Arabic words have arrived in English in relation to Islam and the social systems of Arabic countries.

This is a list of words that passed into English through Arabic. It excludes words that are the same in English and Arabic for some other reason: for instance, some old Semetic words, probably from Aramaic or Hebrew, were passed to English from ancient Latin and Greek, but are therefore similar to the modern Arabic word.

I use “via”, meaning “by way of”, for languages the word passed through on the way to English, and “from” for languages from which Arabic acquired the word.

math

algebra

الْجَبْر al-jabr, a term coined by the Persian mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, meaning “the restoration”, as one might restore a broken bone

average

عَوَار ʿawār, “defect”, ʿawārī “defective merchandise”

algorithm

الخُوَارِزْمِيّ not an Arabic word but the name of al-Khwarizmi (see algebra, above.) The latinized word has been re-introduced into Farsi as الگوریتم

cipher, cypher

صِفْر ṣifr “zero”, via Latin, from India, originating in Sanskrit. It was originally taken to mean “employing Arabic numerals”, but took the meaning of “secret writing” on account of its strangeness to medieval Europeans.

zero

صِفْر a more latinized form of cipher (see above,) via Latin and Italian

(How the “Arabic numerals” 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, besides 0, came into use in English-speaking countries is another interesting story!)

chemistry

alcohol

اَلْكُحْل al-kuḥl “a very finely ground powder”, came to be associated with distilled beverages, due to the fact that powders precipitate out during distillation

soda

صُدَاع ṣudā via Italian, Latin

camphor

كَافُور kāfūr via Latin, from Tamil, from Malay

borax, boron

بَوْرَق būraq (dialectical) from Persian

talc, talcum

طلق ṭalq “mica” from Persian, via Latin

natron

نَطْرُون naṭrūn via French, Spanish and Latin, from Greek, from Ancient Egyptian,

alkali

اَلْقِلْي al-qalī “[ashes of] the saltwort”, via French

alembic

الإِنْبِيق al-anbīq “the still”, via Latin, from Greek

alchemy

اَلْكِيمِيَاء al-kīmiyā' “the chemistry”, via French and Latin, from Greek

amalgam

اَلْمَلْغَم al-malgham via French and Latin, from Greek for “softening agent”

elixir

اَلْإِكْسِير al-ʾiksīr via French, from Greek “powder for drying wounds”

religion

Islam

إِسْلَام ʾislām “submission [to God]”

Muslim

مُسْلِم muslim “one who submits [to God]”

Allah

اللّٰه allāh “the God” (related to biblical Hebrew אֱלֹהִים elohím)

hajj, hajji

حَجِّيّ, حَجّ ḥajj, ḥajjiyy “pilgrimage, pilgrim”

hegira (or hejira)

هِجْرَة hijra “exodus, emigration”

jihad

جِهَاد jihād “struggle, effort”

mosque

مَسْجِد masjid “place of prostration” via French and Italian

halal

حَلَال ḥalāl “permissible” (contrast with harem.)

social / politics

sultan

سُلْطَان sulṭān “authority, ruler”, via French and Ottoman Turkish, from Aramaic

imam

إِمَام ʾimām “leader”

caliph (or calif)

خَلِيفَة ḵalīfa from خَلِيف ḵalīf “successor”, via Latin and French

sheik

شَيْخ šayḵ “elder”

emir

أَمِير ʾamīr “commander”, via French

admiral

أَمِير اَلبَحْر ʾamīr al-baḥr “commander of the fleet” via French. (The ‘d’ probably comes from influence of French admirable).

mufti

مُفْتِي muftī “fatwa-deliverer”, literally “deliverer of formal opinion” (Also refers to a kind of clothing.)

vizier

وَزِير wazīr “minister”

fakir

فَقِير faqīr “poor man”

sharia

شَرِيعَة šarīʿa “path, way”

harem

حَرَم ḥaram “something prohibited; sanctuary”, via Ottoman Turkish (Contrast with halal.)

assassin

أَسَاسِيِّين ʾasāsiyyīn “those who are faithful to the foundation [of the faith]” via French or Italian (The name of a group of Nizari Ismailis who killed political targets. The etymology that this derives from “hashish users” is disputed.)

salaam

سَلَام salām “peace” (Compare Hebrew שָׁלוֹם shalóm, whence also Salem and Jerusalem.)

honorifics

al, bin, ibn, ben, bat

dyes / color / jems

henna

حِنَّاء ḥinnāʾ (the name of the tree the dye comes from) probably from Persian “stain”

crimson

قِرْمِز qirmiz via Spanish and French

amber

عَنْبَر ʿanbar “ambergris” via Old French, from Persian

azure

لَازَوَرْد lāzaward “lapis lazuli”, via French, from the Persian name of the region Lajward of Turkestan where the stone is found

saffron

زَعْفَرَان zaʿfarān via French and Latin

zircon, zirconium

زَرْقُون zarqūn via German, maybe also French

food and drink

sugar

سُكَّر sukkar via French, Latin and Italian, from Persian, from Sanskrit

candy

سُكَّر قَنْدِي sukkar qandī “sugar candy” via Old French, from Persian; likely from the Sanskrit term for “rock candy“

sherbet, sorbet

شَرْبَة šarba “drink”, via French, Italian, Ottoman Turkish, and Persian (The verb is شَرِبَ šariba “to drink”)

syrup

شَرَاب šarāb “beverage”, via French, Latin. (See sherbet.)

coffee

قَهْوَة qahwa “coffee, a brew”, via Dutch, Ottoman Turkish (Note: the Arabic beverage was a mixture of wine and coffee.)

mocha

اَلْمُخَا al-muḵā after the port Mocha in Yemen

julep

جُلَاب julāb via French, Latin, from Persian for “rosewater”

falafel

فَلَافِل falāfil “peppers”, from either Persian and Sanskrit, or Aramaic

hummus

حُمُّص ḥummuṣ via Turkish. (Note: this resembles the modern Greek word χυμός for “juice”, but is evidently unrelated.)

kabob, kebab

كَبَاب kabāb via each of Urdu, Persian and Turkish

tabbouleh

تَبُّولَة tabbūla

tahini

طَحِينَة ṭaḥīna

clothing / fabric

cotton

قُطُن quṭun via French and Italian

muslin

لموصل al-Mawṣil, the name of the city Mosul in northern Iraq, via French and Italian. (The name is very old — likely that of an Assyrian town “Mépsila”)

burnoose (bernouse, bornous, bournous, burnous, burnouse)

بُرْنُس burnus

gilet

جَلِيقَة jalīqa via French

sash

شَاش šāš “muslin cloth”

mohair

مُخَيَّر muḵayyar “choice”, via French and Italian

mufti

see entry under politics

sequin

سِكَّة sikka “die for coining, coin”, via French and Italian.

satin

زَيْتُون zaytūn the name of a city in China, Quanzhou, where the cloth was made (but the word also means “olive”)

macramé

ﻢِﻗْﺮَﻣَﺓ miqrama “ornamental fringe, embroidered veil” French, via Italian, Turkish

mythology

ghoul

غُول ḡūl via Persian

jinn, jinni

جِنّ, جِنِّيّ jinn, jinniyy

talisman

طِلَسْم ṭilasm from Ancient Greek “payment” and from Byzantine Greek “religious rite, completion”

astronomy / astrology

zenith

سَمْت samt “direction, path”, via Latin

nadir

نَظِير السَّمْت naẓīr as-samt “counterpart of the zenith”, via Latin

azimuth

اَلسُّمُوت as-sumūt “the directions”, via French

visible stars

The English names of the 5000 or so visible stars are mostly of Arabic origin. Here are a few familiar ones.

Aldebaran

لدَّبَرَان ad-dabarān “the follower” (because it follows the Pleiades.)

Algol

الْغُول al-ḡūl “the ghoul”

Altair

لنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر an-nasr aṭ-ṭāʾir “the flying eagle”

Betelgeuse

يَد الجَوْزَاء yad al-jawzāʾ “hand of the central one”

Deneb

ذَنَب الدَجَاجَة ḏanab ad-dajāja “hen’s tail”

Fomalhaut

فَمُ الْحُوت famu l-ḥūt “the fish mouth”

Mizar

المئزر al-miʾzar “apron, waistband, girdle”

Rigel

اَلرِّجْل اَلْجَبَّار ar-rijl al-jabbār “the foot of the great one”

Vega

النَّسْر الوَاقِع an-nasr al-wāqiʿ “falling eagle”

animals

giraffe

زَرَافَة zarāfa via French, from Persian for “flute leg”

civet

زَبَاد zabād via French, Italian, Latin

fennec

فَنَك fanak

gazelle

غَزَال ḡazāl via French

gerbil

جَرْبُوع ,يَرْبُوع jarbūʿ, yarbūʿ via French, Latin

albatross

الْغَطَّاس al-ḡaṭṭās “the diver” probably via Spanish or Portuguese (describing various sea birds.)

tuna

تُنّ tunn via Spanish, from Latin, from Ancient Greek θύννος, verb θύνω (thúnō), “I rush, dart along”

albacore

اَلْبَكُورَةal-bakūra via Portuguese, “the young camels”

popinjay

بَبْغَاء babḡāʾ via Old French, probably Old Occitan

plants

alfalfa

الفصفصة al-fisfisa, via Spanish, from Persian

artichoke

الْخُرْشُوف al-ḵuršūf “the artichoke”, via Italian and dialectical Spanish

sumac

سُمَّاق summāq via Old French or Latin, from Classical Syriac for “red; sumac”

caraway

كَرَاوِيَا karāwiyā via Latin, from Aramaic from Ancient Greek

tarragon

طَرْخُون ṭarḵūn via Middle French (modern estragon), Latin, from Ancient Greek δρακόντιον “dragonwort”

aubergine

اَلْبَاذِنْجَان al-bāḏinjān via French, Catalan, from Sanskrit “the plant that cures the wind”

jasmine

يَاسَمِين yāsamīn via French, from Persian

couscous

كُسْكُس kuskus via French, from Tagargrent

carob

خَرُّوب ḵarrūb via French, from Classical Syriac

lemon

لَيْمُون laymūn (or possibly from Ottoman Turkish limon), from Persian līmū. See lime.

lime

لِيمَة līma via French, Spanish, from Persian līmū. See lemon.

orange

نَارَنْج nāranj via Old French pome orenge (“orange fruit”), influenced by Old Occitan, calqued from Old Italian, mela “apple” and (n)arancia “orange”, from Persian, Sanskrit, Dravidian

apricot

الْبَرْقُوق al-barqūq “plums” via dialectal Catalan (influenced by French and Latin,) from Byzantine, from Ancient Greek, from Late Latin “[peaches or apple] which ripen early”

spinach

إِسْفَانَاخ ʾisfānāḵ via Old French, Old Occitan, from Persian

safflower

ﺄَﺼْﻓَﺭ ʾaṣfar, “yellow” from Middle French (but influenced by saffron and flower.)

tamarind

تَمْر هِنْدِيّ tamr hindiyy “Indian date” via Old French, Latin

spices

carmine

قِرْمِز qirmiz “crimson”, from Sanskrit, meaning “produced by worms”

salep

سَحْلَب saḥlab “foxe’s” via French, Turkish

senna

سَنَا sanā “senna”

incense and fragrance

benzoin, benzene

لبان جاوي lubān jāwiyy “Javanese frankincense”, via French, Spanish and Portuguese

camphor

كَافُور kāfūr probably from Malay (or similar,) from Sanskrit

chess

The game of chess is very old, and certainly originated in India. It arrived in the West via Arabic traders from Persia, and the names of the game and some of the pieces are derived from the Arabic versions of those names. Note that the names and interpretations of some of the pieces differ by language.

chess

شَاه šāh via Old French, Latin, from Persian šâh, “king”

checkmate, check, checkerboard, checker, exchequer

شَاهُ مَاتَ šāhu māta via Old French, from Persian šâh mât, “the king [is] dead” (The use of “check” to mean “restrain” or “restraint”, as well as the use as “verify” and “bill of exchange” (British “cheque”) are derivative. The term “exchequer” retains its French spelling, and refers to a method of financial reckoning that involved a board resembling a chessboard. The word “checkers” is an Americanism for the game called “draughts” in Britain which is played on a chessboard.)

rook

رخ rakha “fortress, castle” via Old French, from Persian, possibly from Sanskrit meaning “chariot”.

trade / measure

caliber, caliper

قالب qālab “mold”, via French and Italian, from Greek “shoe last” literally “wood-foot” (caliper appears to be a variant of caliber, dating from about 1580.)

carat, karat

قِيرَاط qīrāṭ via French and Italian from Greek “carob bean”, literally “little horn”

jar

جَرَّة jarra “earthen receptacle” via Latin or French or Spanish.

ream

رِزْمَةrizma “bundle” via French (Note: ream has two other meanings, with unrelated etymologies.)

tare

طَرْحَة ṭarḥa “that which is thrown away” via French, Italian

tariff

تَعْرِيف taʿrīf ”notification”, “inventory of fees”, via French tarif, via Italian, via Medieval Latin tariffe, via Ottoman Turkish تعرفه taʿrife ”table of prices”, “customs rates”, via Persion تعرفه taʿrefe ”set price”, “receipt”; derived from Arabic عرف ʿarafa ”to know” (what tax is to be paid).

safari

سَفَر safar “journey” via Swahili

building

alcove

القُبَّة al-qubba “the vault, chamber with vaulted roof” via French, Spanish or Portuguese

arsenal

دَار الصِّنَاعَة dār aṣ-ṣināʿa via Italian and French

adobe

اَلطُّوب aṭ-ṭūb via Spanish adobe, from Sahidic Coptic for “brick”, Egyptian for “brick, block, ingot”

casbah, kasbah

قَصَبَة qaṣaba “citadel”, “city center”

furniture

mattress

مَطْرَح maṭraḥ “place where something is thrown” via French

sofa

صُفَّة ṣuffa “a long seat made of stone or brick” via French perhaps via Turkish, from Aramaic for “mat, matting”

place-names

Of course English has many Arabic place-names; it would be beside the point of this page to list place-names in Arabic-speaking countries. Some are perhaps surprising. Especially in Spain, a large portion towns and regions have Arabic names; many more old place names there were modified to fit Arabic. Also Portugal and Italy have a few.

Andalusia

الْأَنْدَلُس al-ʾandalus “[land of] the Vandals”, perhaps from Latin or Vandalic

Gibraltar

بل طارق Jabal Ṭāriq “Mount of Tariq”, named after a military leader

Granada

غرناطة Ġarnāṭah possibly “hill of strangers”

Marsala

مَرْسَى عَلِيّ marsā ʿaliyy, “Ali’s harbor” or مَرْسَى اللّٰه marsā llāh, “God’s harbor”.

Sahara

صَحَارَى ṣaḥārā “deserts”

musical instruments

guitar

قِيثَارَة qīṯāra via Spanish, from Latin, Ancient Greek κιθάρα (Note: “zither” has the same origins, but came to English via German and Latin, not Arabic.)

lute, luthier

اَلْعُود al-ʿūd “the wood” (Cognate with the name of the modern Arabic instrument oud. Just why it is so named is a matter of debate: it is indeed made mostly of wood, and it is played with a wooden plectrum.)

tabla

طبلة ṭabla (a small hand drum, usually with two heads.) via Hindi (!)

tambourine, tambour

طُنْبُور ṭunbūr (lute) via French (drum), from Medieval Greek pandoúra

publication / reference

almagest

اَلْمَجِسْطِيّ al-majisṭiyy from Persian, from Greek μεγίστη “greatest”

almanac

الْمَنَاخ al-manāḵ Andalusian Arabic “calendar”, from Greek ἀλμενιχιακά, perhaps from Coptic

magazine

مَخْزَن maḵzan “storeroom, storehouse” via French, Italian (Means “journal” only in English; presumably a confusion with the store where the magazine was bought.)

more

hashish

حَشِيش ḥašīš “hay, dried herb”

dhow

دَاو dāw

loofah

لُوفَة lūfa (Egyptian Arabic.)

wadi

وَادٍ wādin “valley, riverbed, ravine”

mummy

مُومِيَاء mūmiyāʾ via French, Latin, from Persian mumyâ, from mum “wax”.

hazard

اَلزَّهْر az-zahr “the dice” (probable origin.) via Old French for “a game of dice”

monsoon

مَوْسِم mawsim “season” via Dutch, Portuguese

racket (as in tennis)

رَاحَةْ اَلْيَد rāḥat al-yad “palm of the hand” via Middle French

barrio

بَرِّيّ barriyy “wild; open country” via Spanish

carafe

غَرَفَ‎ ḡarafa “to ladle” via French, Italian

kismet

قِسْمَة qisma “destiny, lot, division”