Arabic is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken on the Arabian Peninsula, in much of the Middle East and in North Africa.
The Arabic for "the" is AL so many words from this language begin with these two letters. Sometimes the L is silent (as in "admiral" or "arsenal").
The Arabic Caliphates (kingdoms) between 800AD to 1400AD had many great alchemists so several chemical terms are included ("alcohol", "elixir"). There were also mathematicians and astronomers giving words like "algebra", "zero" and "zenith" as well as countless star names ("Betelgeux"). Many classical Greek books were translated into Arabic and, in this way, new scientific terms were introduced which have come into English.
In addition, there are several words for animals ("gazelle", "giraffe"), administration ("sheriff", "tariff"), foods and drinks ("sherbet", "coffee"), military terms ("calibre", "arsenal") and much more.
A large number of words refer to the Islamic religion which was developed in the Arabian Peninsula ("mosque", "Quran").
| Word | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| admiral | ruler of the seas | |
| albatross | A large seabird. | |
| alchemy | One of the many chemical words from Arabic. | |
| alcohol | essence | A chemical used in drinks and as a solvent. |
| alcove | recess for a bed | |
| alfalfa | fodder | |
| algebra | reunion of broken parts | One of many mathematical terms from Arabic. |
| algorithm | ||
| alkali | ||
| Allah | the God | The word for God, also used by Muslims. |
| almanac | A book of astronomical data. | |
| amber | From a tree. | |
| amulet | ||
| aniline | An organic chemical solvent. | |
| antimony | A semi-metalic chemical element. | |
| arsenal | factory | |
| artichoke | Edible plant. | |
| assassin | From the same root as 'Hashish' as assassins were often given this drug before being sent out to kill political enemies. | |
| average | equitable distribution of losses due to damaged goods | |
| ayatollah | miracle of God | |
| azimuth | Direction in the sky measured clockwise from North. | |
| benzene | from Java | An organic chemical solvent from a resin in an Asian tree |
| Betelgeux | armpit of the mighty one | A bright star in Orion. |
| calibre | mould for casting metal | |
| caliph | successor | A Muslim ruler. |
| caramel | ball of sweet salt | A milky sweet. |
| carat | weight of four grains | |
| caraway | Plant with seeds used in cookery. | |
| cheque | letter of credit | From 'shakk'; allowed money to be withdrawn from banks in different cities. |
| cipher | empty | From the same root as 'zero'. |
| coffee | First used in Yemen. | |
| cork | bark | |
| cotton | Borrowed into Spanish as 'Alcodon'; the AL was dropped when it passed into English. | |
| drub | beat | In English a 'drubbing' can mean 'a good beating' in a sporting contest. |
| elixir | ||
| emir | command | An Arab king. |
| fakir | poor man | |
| fez | A red hat named after its city of origin in Morocco. | |
| gala | ||
| garbage | ||
| garble | ||
| gazelle | A type of antelope. | |
| genie | spirit | From 'Jinn', spirits that inhabit the world - they are frequently mentioned in the Muslim holy book, the Quran. |
| gerbil | A small rodent. | |
| giraffe | Long necked antelope. | |
| goul | From the same root as the star, Algol, known as 'the demon star' because it varies its brightness every few days. | |
| halal | lawful | Applies to food that is fit for a Muslim to to eat. |
| harem | set apart | The womens quarter in an Arab palace. |
| hashish | From the same root as 'assassin'. | |
| hazard | ||
| henna | A dark red dye. | |
| Islam | submission | Islam is the name of the religion. |
| jar | earthenware vase | |
| kismet | fate | |
| loofah | The name of the simple plant-like animal used as a sponge. | |
| lute | The fore-runner of the guitar. | |
| magazine | storehouse | |
| marzipan | Paste of almonds and sugar used in cakes. | |
| mask | buffoon | |
| mattress | mat, cushion | |
| minaret | The tower of a mosque from where prayers are called. | |
| mirror | Looking glass. | |
| mohair | goats' hair cloth | |
| monkey | A primate with a tail. | |
| monsoon | season | |
| mosque | Place of worship for Muslims. | |
| Muslim | one who submits | A follower of Islam. |
| myrrh | A sweet perfume from Yemen. | |
| nadir | The point directly below one's feet. | |
| pancreas | ||
| Quran | recitation | The Islamic holy book - also spelt 'Koran'. |
| racket | palm of hand | As used for ball games. |
| ream | bundle | |
| safari | journey | |
| saffron | Orange colouring for food. | |
| Sahara | desert | |
| sahib | friend | Still used in Indian English. |
| satin | Named after its city of origin in China. | |
| sequin | coin | |
| sheikh | old man | An honorific title. |
| sherbet | drink | From the same root as 'syrup'. |
| sheriff | noble | |
| soda | headache | From a plant used as a headache remedy. |
| sofa | ||
| sultan | An Arab king. | |
| syrup | drink | From the same root as 'sherbet'. |
| tabby | From a district in Baghdad where striped cloth was made. | |
| tahini | flour | |
| Taliban | student | A political and religious movement in Afghanistan. |
| talisman | ||
| tamarind | Indian date | |
| tariff | notify | List of duties to be paid on imported or exported goods. |
| wadi | dry river | Common in place names (eg. Wadi Rum in Jordan). |
| yashmak | veil | |
| zenith | pass over the head | |
| zero | empty | From the same root as 'cipher'. |
| zircon | A mineral from which the metal zirconium is extracted. |
