English word from arabic language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arabic is a Semitic language and English is an Indo-European language. The following words have been acquired either directly from Arabic or else indirectly by passing from Arabic into other languages and then into English. Most entered one or more of the Romance languages, before entering English.

To qualify for this list, a word must be reported in etymology dictionaries as having descended from Arabic. A handful of dictionaries have been used as the source for the list.^[1] Words associated with the Islamic religion are omitted; for Islamic words, see Glossary of Islam. Archaic and rare words are also omitted. A bigger listing including words very rarely seen in English is at Wiktionary dictionary.

Given the number of words which have entered English from Arabic, this list is split alphabetically into sublists, as listed below:

• List of English words of Arabic origin (A-B)
• List of English words of Arabic origin (C-F)
• List of English words of Arabic origin (G-J)
• List of English words of Arabic origin (K-M)
• List of English words of Arabic origin (N-S)
• List of English words of Arabic origin (T-Z)
• List of English words of Arabic origin: Addenda for certain specialist vocabularies

Addenda for certain specialist vocabularies[edit]

Islamic terms[edit]

Arabic astronomical and astrological names[edit]

Arabic botanical names[edit]

The following plant names entered medieval Latin texts from Arabic. Today, in descent from the medieval Latin, they are international systematic classification names (commonly known as «Latin» names): Azadirachta, Berberis, Cakile, Carthamus, Cuscuta, Doronicum, Galanga, Musa, Nuphar, Ribes, Senna, Taraxacum, Usnea, Physalis alkekengi, Melia azedarach, Centaurea behen, Terminalia bellerica, Terminalia chebula, Cheiranthus cheiri, Piper cubeba, Phyllanthus emblica, Peganum harmala, Salsola kali, Prunus mahaleb, Datura metel, Daphne mezereum, Rheum ribes, Jasminum sambac, Cordia sebestena, Operculina turpethum, Curcuma zedoaria, Alpinia zerumbet + Zingiber zerumbet. (List incomplete.)^[2]

Over ninety percent of those botanical names were introduced to medieval Latin in a herbal medicine context. They include names of medicinal plants from Tropical Asia for which there had been no prior Latin or Greek name, such as azedarach, bellerica, cubeba, emblica, galanga, metel, turpethum, zedoaria and zerumbet. Another sizeable portion are ultimately Iranian names of medicinal plants of Iran. The Arabic-to-Latin translation of Ibn Sina’s The Canon of Medicine helped establish many Arabic plant names in later medieval Latin.^[2] A book about medicating agents by Serapion the Younger containing hundreds of Arabic botanical names circulated in Latin among apothecaries in the 14th and 15th centuries.^[3] Medieval Arabic botany was primarily concerned with the use of plants for medicines. In a modern etymology analysis of one medieval Arabic list of medicines, the names of the medicines —primarily plant names— were assessed to be 31% ancient Mesopotamian names, 23% Greek names, 18% Persian, 13% Indian (often via Persian), 5% uniquely Arabic, and 3% Egyptian, with the remaining 7% of unassessable origin.^[4]

The Italian botanist Prospero Alpini stayed in Egypt for several years in the 1580s. He introduced to Latin botany from Arabic from Egypt the names Abrus, Abelmoschus, Lablab, Melochia, each of which designated plants that were unknown to Western European botanists before Alpini, plants native to tropical Asia that were grown with artificial irrigation in Egypt at the time.^[5]

In the early 1760s Peter Forsskål systematically cataloged plants and fishes in the Red Sea area. For genera and species that did not already have Latin names, Forsskål used the common Arabic names as the scientific names. This became the international standard for most of what he cataloged. Forsskål’s Latinized Arabic plant genus names include Aerva, Arnebia, Cadaba, Ceruana, Maerua, Maesa, Themeda, and others.^[6]

Some additional miscellaneous botanical names with Arabic ancestry include Abutilon, Alchemilla, Alhagi, Argania, argel, Averrhoa, Avicennia, azarolus + acerola, bonduc, lebbeck, Retama, seyal.^[7] (List incomplete).

Arabic textile words[edit]

The list above included the six textile fabric names cotton, damask, gauze, macramé, mohair, & muslin, and the three textile dye names anil, crimson/kermes, and safflower, and the garment names jumper and sash. The following are three lesser-used textile words that were not listed: camlet,^[8] morocco leather,^[9] and tabby. Those have established Arabic ancestry. The following are six textile fabric words whose ancestry is not established and not adequately in evidence, but Arabic ancestry is entertained by many reporters. Five of the six have Late Medieval start dates in the Western languages and the sixth started in the 16th century. Buckram, Chiffon, Fustian, Gabardine, Satin, and Wadding (padding). The fabric Taffeta has provenance in 14th-century French, Italian, Catalan, Spanish, and English, and today it is often guessed to come ultimately from a Persian word for woven (tāftah), and it might have Arabic intermediation. Fustic is a textile dye. The name is traceable to late medieval Spanish fustet dye, which is often guessed to be from an Arabic source.^[10] Carthamin is another old textile dye. Its name was borrowed in the late medieval West from Arabic قرطم qartam | qirtim | qurtum = «the carthamin dye plant or its seeds».^[11] The textile industry was the largest manufacturing industry in the Arabic-speaking lands in the medieval and early modern eras.

Arabic cuisine words[edit]

The following words are from Arabic, although some of them have entered Western European languages via other languages. Baba ghanoush, Falafel, Fattoush, Halva, Hummus, Kibbeh, Kebab, Lahmacun, Shawarma, Tabouleh, Tahini, Za’atar . Some cuisine words of lesser circulation are Ful medames, Kabsa, Kushari, Labneh, Mahleb, Mulukhiyah, Ma’amoul, Mansaf, Shanklish, Tepsi Baytinijan . For more see Arab cuisine. Middle Eastern cuisine words were rare before 1970 in English, being mostly confined to travellers’ reports. Usage increased rapidly in the 1970s for certain words.

Arabic music words[edit]

Some words used in English in talking about Arabic music: Ataba, Baladi, Dabke, Darbouka, Jins, Khaleeji, Maqam, Mawal, Mizmar, Oud, Qanun, Raï, Raqs sharqi, Taqsim.

Arabic place names[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

‘I am naturally a stern and silent fellow; even forbidding. But there’s something about etymology and where words come from that overcomes my inbuilt taciturnity.’ ― Mark Forsyth, The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

According to the Linguistic Society, there are more than 6,900 distinct different languages around the world. The Arabic language is the 5th most spoken language worldwide, falling just behind English, Chinese, Hindi and Spanish. The language has such a strong linguistic presence globally that it seems only natural that it should have an influence over the lexicology of Western European languages, such as French and English.

In fact, the English language is composed of a multitude of words and phrases that have been loaned from the Arabic language. Our whole alphabet, from A to Z, from algebra, alchemy and albatross right through to zenith and zero, English vocabulary is composed of hundreds of words of Arabic origin.

Thus, it is interesting to have a closer look at some of the foundations of our dictionary, alphabet, lexicography and phonetics by examining the different languages that have influenced them.

On a personal note, I did not suspect the international origin of certain words that I use almost every day — that is the beauty of linguistics!

Not only is becoming familiar with English versions of common words used in Arabic an intriguing endeavour, it is also a great way to learn Arabic and will even enable you to become a master multilingual speaker and Arabic translator!

Why not learn arabic online?

English Words from Arabic — A Short History

Loanwords

Artichoke, giraffe, divan (furniture), café or coffee — there are so many phrases that we use on a daily basis that are actually made up of words borrowed or translated from the Arabic language. More specifically, these are what are known as loanwords in the world of linguistics.

Many words from our English vocabulary are actually loanwords that have their roots in the Arab world and were derived from classical Arabic terminology many moons ago. A word or phrase may have evolved or altered slightly from the original, but it will have the same roots as is explained in any English-Arabic translation or etymology dictionary.

C.A.M.’s Fennell noted in the book, Stanford Dictionary of Anglicized Words and Phrases (1987), that Arabic is the ‘seventh-leading supplier of loanwords to English’. This makes it a keen contender for having one of the strongest influences over the English language, outrun only by languages such as French, Spanish, Greek, Italian and Latin.

But, we ask ourselves, how has this Semitic language of the Islamic world come to impregnate itself into the English language in such a long-lasting way? How have certain words derived their meaning from the phonetic Arabic pronunciations?

Arabic Enters Europe

Hundreds of years ago, the sheer global magnitude of the Arabic language as a result of the expansion of the Islamic civilisation during the seventh century meant that Arabic was able to easily infiltrate itself into other languages. The Arab world was able to extend out beyond the borders of Middle Eastern countries and develop a lexicon, phonetic system and etymology so distinctive that it is still present in English vocabulary today.

Thus, the Arab culture was able to linguistically dominate the Occident right up until the thirteenth century in an enormous number of domains, which we will learn more about later on.

After a period of a so-called linguistic explosion, Western countries, principally from the South, began to take the reins and Islamic Spain started to have a greater linguistic influence over the English language. This is why we still have so many words that are derived from Arabic terminology.

What was then to follow was of course colonisation, world migration, other languages and trades, which were to bring with them a whole host of new terms with their origins in the Arabic language.

Literature also played an important role in Arabic finding its way into the English language. Essentially, while Plato was translated and brought to us by Latin authors, the philosophy of Aristotle was largely imported by Arab thinkers and translators.

So one way of learning Arabic is to learn which English words have Arabic roots, even if the phonetics may have changed slightly from the original.

You may think you are a monolingual when in fact each one of us is bilingual and a walking talking Arabic — English dictionary!

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Common Arabic Phrases Used Day-to-Day in English

English-Arabic Dictionary

We probably don’t think about it nearly enough, but several lexical terms that are used day in and day out by English language speakers around the world are actually derived from the Arab world and Arabic script and conversation.

This has been one way that Arab culture has been imported across to the West. Little by little, it has transformed itself into the vocabulary we all know and use today. This is just a simple question of etymology, morphemes and locution!

An English — Arabic dictionary is a tool that both helps to inform us of the origin of words and allows us to learn Arabic. The idea here is to take certain words and understand their dialectal variations, derogatory and colloquial definitions, phonetics, etymology and quite simply, their fundamental meanings.

Example of English Words from Arabic

A short and very simple example that we can all remember is as follows:

If I order you a coffee without sugar and also a carafe of orange juice, how many of the words in the sentence I use will be derived from Arabic?

Four! It’s as simple as that!

So, let us have a look at the terms allow us to gain a better understanding of the etymology of our lexicography and the roots of particular words.

• Café or Coffee — this drink — the English noun for which is now so famous in the UK -originated in Yemen in the 15th century and got its name thanks to its Arabic counterpart qahwa. The word qahwa evolved to kahve as it reached Turkey and then again to caoua in Algeria before moving on to becoming café in France and finally, transforming into the coffee that we know and love today. In Arab speaking countries, the word signified a grain of roasted coffee and the associated hot drink that would have been prepared at the time. This linguistic origin also refers to the drink that was discovered in Europe in the seventeenth century thanks to Venitian merchants. Those who enjoy history may also be interested to know that the first coffee house was introduced to the UK in 1651. Another theory as to the origin of the word also suggests that there is a consensus among some geographers that it originates from a province in Ethiopia called Kaffa. Thus, it is called K’hawah, which means invigorating in Arabic.
• Sugar or Sucrose — at the end of the twelfth century, the Italian locution, zucchero, began to be used. The term is itself actually derived from the Arabic equivalent, sukkar, that comes from Sanskrit (meaning grain).  For all the versions of the noun (for example, be it sugar or sucrose, or even the French, sucré), each nickname, each meaning, ultimately originates from the Arabic. It is the Arab world who began to refer to sugar through dialogue and speech in the way that we know it today in European languages. Pfeifer, a linguist specialising in Germanic languages, explains that Arabs and the Arabic speaking world brought the sugar cane culture to Andalucia, Egypt and Sicily.
• Carafe — originating from the Arabic word, gharfa, which meant a form of ladle to hold water, not much is known about the history of this loanword. From gharfa of medieval Arabic, the word travelled to Sicily in the fourteenth century and later to Northern Italy where it morphed into caraffa and eventually to British shores where it became a carafe (a drinks vesicle usually made of glass).
• Orange — the first use of this noun dates back to the thirteenth century. Originally, the orange was a fruit from China that was introduced to the rest of the world by Portuguese sailors in the fifteenth century.
  In Arabic, the word Orange actually means… …Portugal!
  The evolution of the term into the English noun we now use has been quite an incredible etymological adventure. For several centuries, the term Orange travelled many linguistic paths and took on multiple definitions before it eventually began to refer to the fruit and finally, the colour it refers to in modern English. In short, after having given us words like arancia in Italian, naranjaen in Spanish, or even laranja in Portuguese, the term Orange that we now use in English has been given its name from the Arabic equivalent and refers to oranges that are sweet rather than bitter.

Thus, it is safe to say that the Arabic language has an etymological richness that always keeps one guessing!

If you’re not much one for guessing games, you could take Arabic courses London or elsewhere in the UK!

Unexpected Etymology

Not to mention the phrases in the list above (we can also recall aubergine, gazelle or even hazard as being English words translated from Arabic), we can say with some confidence that the Arabic language is an inexhaustible source of morphemes, colloquial language and lexical meanings that covers a large number of areas:

• Clothes: jumper, cotton, mohair, satin, gilet, etc,
• Games: hazard, chess, checkmate, racket, etc,
• Music: lute, guitar, tanbur, tabla etc,
• Mathematics: zero, algebra, etc.

It is quite clear that among the multitude of words whose origin or etymology is rooted in Arab culture and the Arabic speaking world, there are some words whose roots are rather more unexpected and surprising than others.

Part of what makes up the richness of literary Arabic and Arabic from the dictionary is that it has such a diverse etymology and rare phonetic system, which has resulted in some words being indispensable, either for the simple reading of a historical dictionary or for learning of Arabic vocabulary online.

One way of learning a language is by discovering certain words of the same origin or with similar pronunciations and going from there!

The existence  of a locution, or a morpheme (defined as ‘a meaningful morphological unit of a language that cannot be further divided (e.g. in, come, -ing, forming’), can sometimes be more surprising than simply being a bit of terminology that is part of the English language and has the same origin as Arabic words.

So get out your reading glasses and your travel dictionary as we take a closer look!

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Arabic in English — Phrases that you Wouldn’t Think Were Arabic!

• Jumper — this noun, which now is such an important part of our everyday clothing vocabulary was actually loaned from the Italian term giubba, which was itself adapted from the Arabic word jubba or giubba. The literal meaning of the word is a kind of men’s gown or robe or a kind of undergarment like a vest. From its previously usage making reference as a masculine garment, it has since changed meaning under English hands to become a unisex item that keeps us all warm in the winter months!
• Spinach — a plant that we know of today as something with which to make delicious soups and become as strong as Popeye actually has a long and quite fascinating history. The ancient Greeks and Romans were unaware of its existence and it wasn’t until Arabs migrating to Spain in medieval times brought the leafy vegetable over for trading that the Arabic term isfanakh began to circulate around Europe. Slowly but surely, the term eventually transformed into the word spinach in English after the vegetable was introduced to England in the 1400s.
• Magazine — the origins of magazine are still fairly recognisable when looking at its Arabic counterpart makhazin. It is actually more the word’s meaning that has changed rather than its phonetics. It initially referred to a storeroom in English, originating from the Arabic verb to store khazan. Magazines in England were actually places where military items such as gunpowder and bullets were stored, the French term for shop magasin has perhaps retained more of the original meaning than the English. Around the seventeenth century, the term started to refer to information on goods and topics relating to the army and the navy until it finally evolved to mean our favourite copy of Cosmo, Bliss, Men’s Health or even National Geographic!
• Safari — adventures around the Australian outback or through grasslands in Kenya are probably what spring to mind when you see this word, which makes its foreign roots perhaps not that surprising. However, the word actually originally comes from Arabic rather than from any indigenous African or Australian languages as we might have thought! Whilst the term did probably reach us through the Swahili version safari meaning journey, it ultimately came from the Arabic noun safar that also signifies a journey.

Well, it is safe to say that learning the Arabic origins of English words also makes for quite a journey in itself! The terms above are just four examples among many of common Arabic words used in English.

It is true that whilst learning the Arabic language and learning the English language may seem like polar opposite activities nowadays, the English dictionary is a testament to the fact that several English morphemes and phrases come from the same root as those of many Arabic terms. This is probably not really enough vocabulary to turn us into fluent Arabic speakers or foreign language experts but at least it gives non-native Arabic speakers something to get their teeth into and start the learning process!

Learning Arabic from English words in this way can pave the way for making your very own dialectal and etymological dictionary, which takes into account the literal sense of words that can be found in any phonetic English dictionary. Apart from the abovementioned terms, we can also easily see that many many terms we use all the time like chemistry, massage and fanfare, all come from Arabic.

Find an Arabic teacher here.

To summarise, there are so many words in the English language that we use daily and that we would never really have expected to have foreign roots let alone the same linguistic roots as Arabic words.

All this talk of Arabic is enough to make me want to take some Arabic classes!

That is the beauty of language and the captivating power of etymology!

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Top 50+ English Words—of Arabic Origin!
Posted by on Feb 21, 2012 in Arabic Language, Culture, Vocabulary

December 18 marks UN’s Arabic Language Day

Over centuries, dozens of Arabic words have entered the English language, through science, philosophy, mathematics, food, fabrics, trade and travel.

Most were introduced by inland and maritime trade along the Silk Route, while others came through the Islamic conquests of southern Europe. Not all of these words are of Arabic origin – some came from India, Persia and ancient Greece – but Arab merchants helped import them to the West.

Finally, the discovery of medieval Islamic scientists and astronomers during the Renaissance brought new words and concepts to Europe.

For the UN’s Arabic Language Day, we picked our top 15 most surprising words with Arabic origins.

Admiral: amir أمير

The word for this high-ranking naval commander evolved from amir, the Arabic word for a prince or ruler. The word was first documented on the island of Sicily in the 11th century, where the Arabs had ruled for 300 years.

Alchemy: al kimiya الكيمياء

The ancient branch of philosophy known as alchemy involved the study of substances and materials. Medieval alchemists believed that some liquids could be turned to gold, or a potion that would make its drinker immortal. The original Arabic word stems from the Greek term «khemeia«, though some scholars also trace its roots back to ancient Egypt.

Cotton: qutun قطن

Though cotton was known to the ancient Romans, the word and the fabric were imported by Arab merchants to Europe in the late Middle Ages.

Elixir: al-iksir الإكسير

Today, an elixir is a liquid remedy with healing powers. In Arabic, it originally referred to a dry powder for treating wounds. It was later adopted by alchemists who referred to an elixir as the elusive mineral powder that would turn metals into gold.

Jumper: jubba جبّة

The Arabic word for overcoat originally entered European languages as «juppa«, valuable silk clothing, in southern Italy in the 11th century.

Macrame: miqrama مقرمة

This type of knotted textile used in craft and high fashion originates from the hand-loomed fabrics of Arabic weavers. In Arabic, miqrama refers to an embroidered tapestry or bedspread.

Mohair: al-mokhayyar المخيّر

In Arabic, al-mokhayyar was a high-quality cloth made of fine goat hair. Various forms of it were imported to the West for centuries, the most famous being the wool made from Angora goats of Turkey.

Monsoon: mawsim موسم

Early Arab sea merchants on the Indian Ocean rim used the word «mawsim» or «seasons» to refer to the seasonal sailing winds. Later, the word was adopted by Portuguese, Dutch and English sailors as they navigated extreme weather conditions off the coasts of India, South-East Asia and China.

Muslin: musuliyin موصلي

Muslin, a cotton-based fabric, is said to have derived its name from the traders of the city of Mosul, or the musuliyin, who imported it from South Asia to Europe.

Nadir: nazir نظير

In English, a nadir refers to the worst moment, or the point at which something is of the least value. But in Arabic, the word means a counterpart, and was used in medieval Islamic astronomy to refer to the diametrically opposing points of a celestial sphere.

Orange: naranj نارنج

Though both the fruit and the word came from India, Arabs introduced oranges to the Mediterranean region. For many southern European countries today, they are considered a staple fruit.

Serendipity: serendib سرنديب

The ancient fairy tale place of Serendib, which appears in One Thousand and One Nights and other ancient oral traditions, was also the old Arabic name for the island of Sri Lanka. The English word serendipity, meaning a fortunate discovery, was coined by the English author Horace Walpole in 1754.

Safari: safar سفر

The English adopted the Swahili word for journey – safari – in the 19th century for their hunting expeditions in East Africa. Though a safari today involves an organised trip to spot wild animals, its origins are from the Arabic «safar», or journey, a reminder of the crucial presence of Arab sea merchants on the East African coast.

Sugar: sukkar سكّر

Another word to have travelled the Silk Road is sugar, which was originally produced in India. By the sixth century, sugar cane cultivation reached Persia, and was brought into the Mediterranean by the Arabs, who produced it extensively.

Tariff: ta’riff تعريف

A tariff in Medieval Arabic means a notification. It was introduced to western languages around the 14th century through commerce on the Mediterranean Sea, where it referred to the bill of lading on a merchant ship, or the statement of products and prices for sale.

Updated: March 28, 2023, 1:28 PM

By: Pauline Farris/Arab America Contributing Writer

Arabic has two forms: Fusha, a classic version of the language that is used in formal contexts, and Aamiya, a spoken colloquial version. The latter usually varies between countries and regions. It is a central Semitic language that shares roots with Aramaic and Hebrew.

English speakers often find Arabic a challenging language to learn for several reasons, not least that it is written right to left. Another barrier is the presence of sounds in Arabic that have no equivalent in English. However, it is a beautiful, poetic language that offers great opportunities for creative expression. For instance, there are at least 11 distinct words for “love” in Arabic.

However, have you really ever thought about the origin of English words? You may be surprised to learn that contemporary English borrows heavily from old Arabic phrases. For centuries, people have been buying, selling, and traveling around the Mediterranean. As a result, Arabic words have been assimilated into and shaped by many other languages.

Here are a few examples of words with Arabic roots:

1. Alcohol

In ancient Arabic, the word al-kuhl means “the kohl,” a dark, finely milled powder used for emphasizing the eyes. When Europeans first encountered this substance and learned how it was produced, they started to use the term alcohol as a general term to describe fine powders and volatile liquids.

Later, Arabs began to use al-kuhul to describe wines and spirits. Today, al-kuhl and al-kuhul both have a place in the Arabic language.

2. Amalgam

The first recorded use of “Amalgam” can be found in 13th-century alchemy texts. Although the texts are written in Latin, it’s likely that the term originated in the Arabic al-Malgham.

3. Coffee

“Coffee” has its origins in the Arabic word qahwa. The coffee plant, which is thought to originate from Ethiopia, was imported to Yemen hundreds of years ago. The local people referred to it as qahwa, a term previously used to denote a wine.

Qahwa has a long history, having been filtered through several languages. It was transformed into kaveh in Turkish regions, koffie in the Netherlands, then finally “coffee” in English.

4. Ghoul

This word used to describe an evil being that feeds on the bodies of the deceased comes from the Arabic word ghūl, which is in turn rooted in the verb ghāla-“to seize.”

Although “ghoul” has been traditionally used in reference to supernatural entities, it can also be used to describe a person who is fascinated by unpleasant or morbid phenomena.

5. Lemon

Lemon” and “lime” are both rooted in the Arabic word lim, an ancient term for citrus fruit, now in Arabic, Laimoun. In contemporary English, “lemon” is also used as a derogatory term for a disappointing item or purchase.

6. Magazine

“Magazine” can be traced back to makhzan, an Arabic word for “storehouse.” The word appeared for the first time in a European language in the 13th century as magazenum, a Latin word meaning “storeroom.”

Italian speakers changed it to maggazzino in their language, and the French then used it as the basis for their term magasin, which is used in reference to a commercial store.

In the 18th century, English speakers began using “magazine” as a term to describe a set of writings aimed at the general public.

7. Mattress

This word comes from the Arabic al-matrah or tarraha, which roughly translates as “the large cushion or rug for lying on.” It has also roots in the Arabic taraha, meaning “he threw down.”

Medieval Latin speakers then changed al-matrah to matracium, which then became materasso in Italian and materas in Old French during the 13th century. Today, English speakers use the term in reference to a large sprung cushion rather than a rug.

The word “sofa” also comes from Arabic. The original word was suffa, an Arabic word that became “sofa” in Turkish. In the Arab world, a suffa was an elevated carpeted platform designed for sitting.

8. Safari

“Safari” has only been in widespread use since the 19th century, but it has origins in the Arabic word safar, which means “to travel” or “to make a journey.” In Swahili, “safari” literally means “a journey” or “an expedition.”

The term used to denote lengthy trips for the purposes of trading and migration. However, in modern parlance, a safari refers to a supervised vacation trip, usually through African countries such as Kenya.

9. Racket

In modern English, a racket is either a piece of equipment used in sports and games, a loud noise, a scheme that guarantees an easy source of income, or a scam.

The Arabic word rusgh, which means “wrist,” referred to a game played with bats and balls. It was later adapted by speakers of other languages to describe a piece of sporting equipment.

10. Zenith

A zenith is something or someone’s highest point, and was originally used in astronomy. This word has a complex history. It stems from the Arabic expression samt ar-ra’s, which means “path above the head.”

During the Middle Ages, Latin scribes condensed the phrase to samt but wrote it incorrectly as cenit or enit. Cenith and then zenith made their appearance in 17th-century English.

If you are interested in etymology, you’ll be happy to learn that this list is merely the tip of the iceberg! A little research will uncover hundreds of other words that have made their way directly or indirectly from Arabic to English. They include adobe, admiral, alchemy, algebra, alkaline, artichoke, candy, cotton, gazelle, giraffe, hazard, jar, orange, sherbet, sugar, syrup, tariff, and zero.

Pauline Farris speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and Italian and currently she works as a translator at translation service TheWordPoint. She traveled the world to immerse herself in the new cultures and learn languages. Today she is proud to be a voting member of the American Translators Association and an active participant of the Leadership Council of its Portuguese Language Division.