The Arabic language is about 1,500 years old, and versions of it date even further than that. Some inscriptions even go back to the first century. So it should be of little surprise that many words in the English language have their roots in Arabic. Sometimes this was direct, and sometimes the word was adopted by one of the romance languages and then 'borrowed' by English. Can you deduce which of these words came to English by way of Arabic?
Which is it?
Alkaline
Cemetery
Dinosaur
Europe
Which is it?
From Arabic 'quṭn'
Cotton
Fabric
Shirt
Pants
Which is it?
Zero
One
Eight
Five
Pick the word that came from from Arabic but originated in Persian or Turkish
From 'az-zahr' meaning chance or luck
Hazard
Warning
Alarm
Horse
Which is it?
Originally from the Arabic word 'Safar', meaning 'Journey' or 'travel'
Safari
Zoo
Galaxy
Building
Which is it?
Sash
Ribbon
Belt
Scarf
Which is it?
From 'al-kohl', meaning a very fine powder.
Alcohol
Beer
Wine
Scotch
Which is it?
Zenith
Top
Penthouse
Hundred
Which is it?
Originally from 'Maskharat' meaning something ridiculous or a buffoon. This is also the origin of words like 'mascara' and 'masquerade'.
Mask
Smoke
Dance
Music
Which is it?
From the Arabic 'Wawsim' which means 'season'.
Monsoon
Storm
Tornado
Hurricane
Which is it?
Historians believe this is in reference to a medieval group of the same name famous because they were heavy hashish smokers and carried knives.
Assassin
Spy
Military
Rifle
Which is it?
This has several forms. For example from classical Arabic 'Harshafa', then became 'al-kharshūfa' then to Spanish 'Alcarchofa' then to Italian 'Articiocco'
Artichoke
Salad
Beet
Apple
Not Your Best Guesses
Did we surprise you with all these words that apparently came from Arabic? Now you know some of fascinating Arabic roots of words we use every day in the English language. It's worth researching a bit more, you'll be surprised how many words you use come from Arabic!
You did pretty well for yourself. Wonderful to discover you know some of fascinating Arabic roots of words we use every day in the English language. Arabic had an important part to play in modern English. Not surprising, considering it is a very old language and that Arabic merchants roamed the seas during the middle ages. Obviously, you know quite a bit about these important roots, but you didn't quite know them all. Please have a look at our answers to see where you did go wrong.
Do you SPEAK Arabic? How do you know these etymologies so well? You either know Arabic or know English really, really well, so you know where all these words come from. English borrows heavily from many old languages, such as romance languages, Greek and in this case - Arabic. We're impressed with your amount of knowledge and education. Most people have forgotten these ancient roots, but not you!
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Shai K.
12/20/2021
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