List of English words of Arabic origin - Definition and Overview

This is a list of English words of Arabic origin.

Many of these words have come to us via Spanish, heavily influenced by the Arabic of al-Andalus.

Contents

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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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 Greek khemeia "alchemy" or Arabic al-kammiyah)
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 (literally "repairing")
algol: al-ghul "the ghoul"
alkali: al-qaliy "calx"
Allah: الله Allah "God"
almagest: al-majisti
almanac: al-manaakh, "the climate"
altair: "the flying eagle"
amalgam: ultimately from Greek amalgama
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.
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
camel: - jamal , from Latin camellus, from one of the Semitic languages (which one is uncertain, but the term is found in Latin before Arabic)
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

E

elixir: الإكسير al-'iksiir "philosopher's stone" (via Greek)

F

fatwa: فتوى fatwa, religious opinion
fellah: fallah, "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
gypsum: from Greek gypsos "chalk", from unidentified Semitic root; akin to Arabic jibs

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
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"
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"

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"
sesame: سمسم simsim
sherbet: شربات sharbaat "drinks"
shrub: as in the drink
sirocco: sharqiyah, "eastern"
soda: From sudaa, meaning headache.
sofa: suffa "stone ledge"'
sultan: سلطان sulTaan "ruler"
sumac: سماق Simmak or Persian Sumak
suq: ﻖﻭﺳ "Middle Eastern marketplace"
syrup: شراب sharaab "beverage, drink"

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-ras "zenith, vertex"
zero: صفر sifr

Contents:	Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

List of English words of Arabic origin - Definition and Overview

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

Example Usage of English