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.

See also: Lists of English words of international origin

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 | See also | External links

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 

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-ambiq "the still"

alfalfa 

al-fasfasa "fodder"

algebra 

via Spanish álgebra; الجبر al-jabr (literally "repairing")

algol 

al-ghul "the ghoul"

algorithm 

from the name of الخوارزمي al-Khwarizmi

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

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)

aubergine 

azimuth 

as-sumut "the paths"

azure 

via persian , al-lazward "lapis lazuli"

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

borax 

via persian buraaq

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)

camera 

Qamra, the "dark room" used by al-Hassan ibn al-Haytham in optics, ultimately from Latin camera "room"

camise  

camphor 

كافور kaafuur (via Medieval Latin), probably from Malay kapur.

candy 

from sugar qandi "candied", from qand "cane sugar"

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

check 

- through Arabic sakk, promisary note.

checkmate 

- shāh māt "the King is dead", from the Persian shah for "king" and the Arabic māt for "died."

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

galingale  

خلنجان khalanjan, a plant.

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

guitar 

qithaar , via Spanish, ultimately from Greek

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"

henna 

حنة hinaa

I

imam 

J

jar 

جرة jarrah "large earthen vase"

jasmine 

ياسمين yaasamiin (ultimately from Persian)

jerboa 

Jarbou

jihad 

جهاد jihad "struggle"

jin 

jinn

Jinn 

جنّ jinn "spirits"

julep 

جلاب julaab "rose water" , ultimately from Persian gulaab

K

kabob 

kabab

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

lemon 

via Persian, laymoun

lilac 

via Persian, laylak

lime 

limah "citrus fruit"

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

Orange 

Naranj or Naranja نرنجة (orginally an Arabic word for a type of an orange fruit, from Persian, which became a Spanish word for the orange color)

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

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"'

spinach 

سبانخ ispanakh, ultimately from Persian

sugar 

سكّر sukkar (possibly from an Indian language, cf. Sanskrit sharkara)

sultan 

سلطان sulTaan "ruler"

sumac 

سماق Simmak

syrup 

شراب sharaab "beverage, drink"

T

tabby 

based on a city in Iraq where striped fabric was made

talc 

talq

talisman 

ultimately from Greek telesma

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 Greek Typhon; also affected by Cantonese taai-fung

U

V

vizier 

وزير waziir "minister" (via Turkish vezir)

W

X

Z

zenith 

samt ar-ra’s "zenith, vertex"

zero 

صفر sifr

zircon 

siriqun, ultimately from Persian azargun, "fire color"

See also

• List of Islamic terms in Arabic
• List of Arabic phrases
• 99 Names of God