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Feb. 25, 2005 Perhaps most English-speakers are not aware of the many words that have entered the English language from Arabic, some of which are original Arabic words and some of which entered Arabic from other languages, especially Persian. Of course, it is not merely the case that the words alone entered the English language. In most instances, the ideas and objects that the words represent were introduced to Western culture by the Arabs. An example of this would be algebra, whose invention is credited to Arab mathematicians of medieval times. The words 'zenith', 'nadir', 'azimuth' and 'almucantar' have to do with astronomy, which was also studied and advanced during the Islamic heyday. Here are some English words, derived directly or indirectly from Arabic: admiral, adobe, albacore, albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alfalfa, algebra, algorithm, alkali, almanac, almucantar, amber, antimony, apricot, arsenal, artichoke, assassin, attar, azimuth, azure, benzoin, borax, burnoose, calabash, caliber, calico, camphor, candy, carat, caraway, carafe, carmine, carob, cassock, chemise, chemistry, Cid, cipher, civet, coffee, cotton, crimson, cumin, damascene, damask, drub, elixir, garble, gazelle, gauze, genie, ghoul, giraffe, halvah, harem, hashish, hazard, henna, jar, jasmine, julep, kebab, kismet, kohl, lacquer, lilac, lemon, lime, loofah, lute, macramé, magazine, marzipan, mascara, mattress, minaret, mohair, monsoon, mosque, mummy, muslin, nadir, orange, ottoman, racquet, ream, rook, safari, saffron, Sahara, sash, satin, scarlet, sequin, sesame, sherbet, soda, sofa, spinach, sugar, sultan, sumac, Swahili, syrup, talc, talisman, tamarind, tambourine, tariff, tarragon, typhoon, zenith, zero Along with the astronomical terms included in the above list, Arab astronomers invented scores of names of stars still in use, of which I give only a few of the more noteworthy examples: Achernar, Aldebaran, Altair, Arneb, Betelgeuse, Deneb, Fomalhaut, Menkar, Markab, Okda, Rasalgethi, Rigel, Rukbat, Vega Other Arabic words, describing Arab customs and Islamic practises, though used occasionally in English, probably should not yet be considered fully naturalized as English words. Examples in this category include: Allah, bedouin, caliph, casbah, emir, fatwa, fellah, felucca, imam, Islam, jihad, hajj, muezzin, mujahid, Muslim, Qur'an, rubaiyyat, sura, wadi Many of the Arabic words in the first list were adopted by Spanish speakers and incorporated into the Spanish language during the seven-hundred- year occupation of Spain by the Moors, only later passing into English from Spanish. So it is interesting to include a list of Hispanic Arabisms as well, for comparison: aceite, aceituna, adobe, aduana, ajedrez, alacena, alacrán, albacora, albahaca, albañil, albatros, albérchiga, albóndiga, alboroto, alcalde, alcancía, alcanfor, alcaparra, alcachofa, alcalá, alcatraz, alcázar, alcoba, alcohol, aldea, alfalfa, alfiler, alfombra, algarabía, Algeciras, algodón, algoritmo, alguacil, almacén, almanaque, almíbar, almirante, almohada, alquiler, arrabal, arrayán, arrecife, arroz, atalaya, ataúd, atún, azafrán, azar, azote, azúcar, azucena, balde, baño, barrio, berenjena, café, calabaza, calabozo, carcajada, cenit, cero, Cid, cifra, cimitarra, chaleco, chisme, cumino, dado, embarazo, fulano, Gibraltar, Guadalajara, Guadalquivir, harén, hasta, hazaña, hola, imán, jabalí, jaqueca, jarabe, jinete, jirafa, lima, limón, marfil, máscara, momia, mono, naranja, ojalá, olé, paraíso, quiosco, rehén, rincón, rubio, sandía, sésamo, sorbete, sultán, talco, tamarindo, tambor, tarea, tarifa, taza, toronja, valija, zanahoria The great number of words in both English and Spanish beginning with 'al-' is explained by the fact that 'al' is the Arabic definite article. Included with these are other words beginning with just 'a-', where the '-l-' has been lost. Some examples are: al ghattas.....alcatraz (the pelican) al kuhul.....the alcohol al khalid.....alcalde (the chief) al qasr.....alcázar (the fortress) al taligh (pronounced: at taligh).....atalaya (the watchtower) The word 'Swahili' is from Arabic 'Sahili', meaning 'Coastal', short for ´Coastal Language' or 'Coastal Speech', as Swahili is spoken predominantly in Tanzania and surrounding areas in East Africa along the coast of the Indian Ocean. ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so far. I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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