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English Words from Arabic

this list isn't exhaustive-- the OED has over 900 words; but the others are obscure (words like enam, sulham, zibib). I've omitted speculative and less likely derivations, and also words borrowed in ancient times from some unspecified Semitic language (e.g. cumin, myrrh, sesame). I've also omitted Arabic place names, but included a few astronomical names. After a second hyphen I give (if possible) the further derivation (Greek, Persian, etc.), or the verbal root (glossed as an infinitive; but the citation form of Arabic roots is actually the 3sg past). Some words are borrowed directly from Arabic; but most of these words have taken the scenic route, through Spanish, Italian, and/or French; or through Turkish, Persian, or Urdu; or through Hebrew or Latin. This produces a good deal of phonological deformation; as does the dialect variation within Arabic. The transliteration is an adaptation to html, while we're waiting for the Unicode revolution... the bolding and commas represent emphatic consonants; h' and ` are the pharyngeal approximants; ' is the glottal stop; : represents length. --M.R.

admiral - ami:r-al-bahr 'ruler of the seas' (and other similar expressions) - amara command adobe - al-toba 'the brick' albacore - al-bukr 'the young camel' alchemy - al-ki:mi:a: - from Greek alcohol - al-koh''l 'the kohl' alcove - al-qobbah 'vault' - qubba vault alembic - al-ambi:q 'the still' - from Greek alfalfa - alfas,fas,ah 'fodder' algebra - al-jebr 'reintegration' - jabara reunite Algol - al-ghu:l 'the ghoul' algorithm - al-Khowarazmi 'the (man) of Khiva' alkali - al-qaliy 'calx' - qalay fry, roast Allah - `allah, from contraction of al-ilah 'the god' Almagest - al-majisti - from Greek almanac - (Andalucian Arabic) al-mana:kh, of uncertain origin amber - `anbar 'ambergris'

antimony - al-thmid 'antimony trisulphide' - perhaps from Greek apricot - al-burquq - from Greek Arab - `arab arsenal - dar as,s,ina`ah 'house of making', i.e. 'factory' - s,ana`a make artichoke - al-kharshu:f assagai - az-zaghayah - from Berber assassin - h'ashsha:shi:n 'hashish eaters', from the Isma`ili sectarians attar - `itr 'aroma' ayatollah - 'ayatu-llah 'miraculous sign of God' azimuth - as-sumut 'the paths'; see also zenith azure - al-lazward 'lapis lazuli' - from Persian barbican - (possibly) bb-al-baqara 'gate with holes' berdache - (possibly) bardaj 'slave' Betelgeuse - bi:t al-jauza:' 'shoulder of the Giant' bezoar - bazahr - from Persian bint - bint 'daughter bled - balad 'vast open country' borax - bu:raq - from Persian burka - burqa` burnouse - burnus caliber - qali:b 'mold, last' calico - Qaliqu:t 'Calicut', city in India caliph - khali:fah 'successor' - khalafa 'succeed' camise - qami:s 'shirt' - from Latin camphor - ka:fu:r - from Malay candy - short for 'sugar candy', from sugar + qandi 'candied', from qand 'cane sugar' from a Dravidian language carat - qi:ra:t 'small weight' - from Greek caraway - alkarawya: - probably from Greek carafe - gharra:f - gharafa 'dip' carmine - qirmazi: 'crimson' carob - kharrubah cassock - kaza:ghand 'padded jacket' - from Persian check - sha:h 'king' - from Persian checkmate - sha:h ma:t 'the king is dead' chemistry - see alchemy chess - from Old French eschecs, plural of check cipher - s,ifr 'empty' civet - zaba:d coffee - qahwah Copt - quft - from Greek cork - qu:rq cotton - qutn

couscous - kuskus - kaskasa pound, bruise crimson - qirmazi:, related to the qirmiz, the insect that provided the dye Deneb - danab al-jaja:ja 'tail of the hen' dhow - da:w dinar - di:na:r - from Greek dirham - dirham - from Greek dragoman - tarjuma:n - tarjama interpret drub - daraba 'beat' dura mater - Latin calque on umm al-ghali:dah 'hard mother' efreet - 'ifri:t 'monster' El Cid - al-Sayyid 'the lord' elixir - al-iksi:r 'philosopher's stone' - from Greek emir - ami:r - amara command fakir - faqi:r 'poor man' - faqura be poor fardel - fardah 'load' Farsi - Fa:rs 'Pars', a province of Iran - from Persian fatwa - fetwa - fata: instruct by a legal decision fedayeen - fida:'iyi:n 'commandos' - fida:` redemption felafel - fala:fil fellah - fella:h' 'husbandman' - falah'a till felucca - fulk 'ship' - falaka be round Fomalhaut - fum u'l-haut 'mouth of the fish' garble - gharbala 'sift' - perhaps from Latin gazelle - ghaza:l genie - jinni: 'spirit' gerbil - yarbu:` ghoul - ghu:l 'demon' - gha:la take suddenly giraffe - zara:fa hadith - h'adi:t 'tradition' haj - h'ajj 'pilgrimage' - h'ajja go on a pilgrimage halal - h'ala:l 'lawful' halvah - h'alwa: harem - h'aram 'prohibited, set apart' - h'arama prohibit hashish - h'ashi:sh 'dried herbs, hemp' hazard - ysara 'play at dice' hegira - hijrah 'departure' - hajara separate, go henna - h'enna:` Hezbollah - H'izbulla:h 'party of God' hookah - h'uqqah 'water bottle (through which smoke is drawn)' houri - h'u:r al-`ayu:n 'with eyes like gazelles' - h'awura have eyes like gazelles

imam - ima:m 'leader' - amma precede Islam - isla:m 'submission' - aslama submit oneself jar - jarrah 'large earthen vase' jasmine - ya:smi:n - from Persian jinn - jinn 'spirits', plural of genie julep - jula:b 'rose water' - from Persian Kaaba - ka`bah 'square house' kabob - kaba:b - from Persian kaffir - ka:fir 'infidel' - kafara conceal, deny keffiyeh - kaffi:yah khamsin - khamsi:n 'fifty (days)' kismet - qisma 'portion, lot' - qasama divide kohl - koh''l 'kohl' - kah'ala stain, paint Koran - qura:n 'recitation' - qara`a read lilac - li:la:k - from Persian lemon - laymu:n - from Persian lime - li:mah 'citrus fruit' loofah - lu:fah a plant whose pods were used as sponges lute - al-`u:d macram - miqramah 'striped cloth' magazine - makha:zin 'storehouses' - khazana store Mahdi - mahdi:y 'one who is guided aright' - hada: lead majlis - majlis 'council' mancala - mank.ala - nak.ala move marzipan - mawthaba:n 'coin featuring a seated figure' mask - perhaps maskhara 'buffoon' - sakhira ridicule mattress - matrah 'place where something is thrown, mat, cushion' - tarah'a throw minaret - mana:rah - na:r fire mohair - mukhayyar 'choice (goats'-hair cloth)' - khayyara select monsoon - mausim 'season' - wasama mark mosque - masgid - sagada worship Mozarabic - musta`rib 'would-be Arab' muezzin - mu'adhdhin 'criers' - adhana proclaim mufti - mufti: 'one who gives a fatwa' mujahedeen - muja:hidi:n 'figher in a jihad' mullah - mawla: 'master' mummy - mu:miya: 'embalmed body' - mu:m '(embalming) wax' Muslim - muslim 'submitter' - aslama submit oneself muslin - Maus,il 'Mosul'

nadir - nadi:r as-samt 'opposite the zenith' natron - natru:n - from Greek nizam - nidam 'government' orange - na:ranj - from Sanskrit ottoman - `uthma:n, a proper name pia mater - Latin calque on umm raqi:qah 'tender mother' popinjay - babagha: Primum Mobile - Latin calque on al-muh' arrik al-awwal 'the first mover' racket - rh'et 'palm of the hand' Ramadan - Ramada:n meaning perhaps 'the hot month' - ramata be heated realgar - rehj al-gha:r 'powder of the cave' ream - rizmah 'bundle' rebec - reba:b Rigel - rijl 'foot (of Orion)' roc - rukh rook - rukh - from Persian Rubaiyyat - ruba:`i:yah 'quatrain' safari - safari:y 'journey' - safara travel saffron - za`fara:n Sahara - ah'ra: 'desert' sahib - a:h'ib 'friend' salaam - as-sala:m `alaikum 'peace be on you' saluki - salu:k.i: 'from Saluk' Saracen - sharqi:yi:n 'easterners' - sha:raqa rise sash - sha:sh 'muslin' satin - probably zaytu:ni: 'of Zaytu:n' (a city in China) scarlet - siqilla:t '(cloth) adorned with images' - from Latin sequin - sikkah 'die for coinmaking' Sharia - shari:`a sheikh - shaikh 'old man' - sha:kha grow old sherbet - sharbah - shariba drink Shiite - shiya`i:y, from shiya:` 'following, sect' - sha`a follow shrub [drink] - shurb 'a drink' - shariba drink sine - Latin sinus, mistranslation of jayb 'chord of an arc, sine', through confusion with jayb 'fold of a garment' sirocco - sharq 'east (wind)' - sha:raqa rise sofa - s,uffah 'raised dais with cushions' souk - su:k. 'marketplace' spinach - isfa:na:kh Sufi - u:fi: 'man of wool' sugar - sukkar - from Sanskrit sultan - sulta:n 'sovereign'

sumac - summa:q Sunni - sunni: 'lawful', from sunna:h 'rule, course' sura - su:rah syrup - shara:b 'beverage' - shariba drink tabbouleh - tabbu:la tabby - `atta:biy, a neighborhood in Baghdad where taffeta was made tahini - - tah'ana crush Taliban - talib 'student' - talaba study talisman - tilsam - from Greek tamarind - tamr-hindi: 'date of India' tambourine - a small tambour, from tanbu:r - from Persian tandoori - tannu:r 'oven' tarboosh - tarbu:sh tare [weight] - tarh'ah 'rejected' - tarah'a reject tariff - ta`ri:f 'notification' - `arafa notify tarragon - tarkhu:n - possibly from Greek tell [mound] - tall 'hillock' ujamaa - jama:` 'community' ulema - `ulima: 'the learned ones' - `alama know Vega - al-nasr al-wa:qi` 'the falling vulture' vizier - wazi:r 'porter, public servant' - wazara carry wadi - wa:di: Waqf - waqf 'religious foundation' wisdom tooth - from a Latin calque on adra:su 'l h'ikmi - calqued from Greek zenith - samt 'path' zero - s,ifr 'empty'