Arabic Language

The Arabic Legacy in English

Little awareness exists in the mind of many Europeans as to the great past of a time called “The Caliphate”. Between the 7th and the 15th century, much of the Mediterranean as well as most of Spain was actually under Arab rule. In fact, it was a time of many scientific advancements – and a dominance that lasted for more than 700 years. Still today, the heritage of those times can be detected in everyday life.

Arabic as the language of those times has left its legacy on the present tongues in Europe and even across the Atlantic. While it is recognized that Spanish vocabulary hosts a number of expressions derived from Arabic (e.g. Andalusia stems from the time of “al-Andalus”), the impact on the English language is far less known.

However, there are quite some terms that can be clearly detected as the legacy of those times in the Middle Ages. The following lists provides a selected array of common English words, their Arabic roots and their original meanings:

English Word	Arabic Root	Original Meaning
admiral	amir al-bahr	ruler of the sea
alchemy	al-qimiya	chemistry
alcohol	al-kohl	wine spirit
apricot	al-baquq	apricot
assassin	al-hasheesh	hash-eaters
camel	al-jamal	camel
candy	al-qand	cane sugar
cipher / zero	sifr	empty
coffee	al-qahwah	coffee
elixir	al-iksi:r	philosopher’s stone
fakir	al-faqir	poor man
giraffe	al-zarafa	giraffe
harem	haram	forbidden
lime	al-limah	citrus fruit
magazine	al-makhazin	storehouse
mocha	al-mukha	Mocha/Yemen
mummy	al-mumiya	embalmed corpse
orange	al-naranj	orange
race	al-ra’as	head, origin
rock	al-rukhkh	stone
safari	al-safar	journey
sorbet	shurab	to drink
sugar	al-sukkar	sugar
tariff	al-ta’arifa	notification

For those interested, Wikipedia provides yet a more exhaustive list of English words derived from Arabic.

Arabic Words in English


The vocabulary clearly shows the high level of education and scientific awareness that prevailed during the “Golden Age” of the Arab rule across Europe. But language was not the only area where a legacy can still be seen today: Andalusia, the former capital state of the Caliphate, is home to some of the most splendid and outstanding architectural marvels that exist in this World.

But that will be left for another time and another blog entry.


Andreas Hauser