With the Name of the Gracious and Compassionate Creator of the Heavens and the Earth SCRUTINIZING THE QUR'AN APPENDIX II A List of English Words Derived from Arabic

This list is drawn almost entirely from The Influence of Islam on Medieval Europe, by R. Montgomery Watt (Edinburgh University Press, 1972).  These words “have passed through Arabic at some stage in their history.  Many have come into Arabic from other languages.  Since the chief interest of the list is to indicate our debt to medieval Islam, recent importations by travelers in Arab countries have been excluded; e.g. wadi.  The list makes no claim to completeness, and includes words whose derivation is disputed (usually indicated by a question mark).  Many sources have been used of which the most comprehensive is:  Karl Lokotsch, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der europäischen Wörter orientalischen Ursprungs (Heidelberg, 1927).  Abbreviations used:  Ar., Arabic; Fr., French; Gk., Greek; It., Italian; Lat., Latin (including medieval Latin); Pers., Persian; Port., Portuguese; Sansk., Sanskrit; Sp., Spanish; Turk., Turkish.”  (page 85) This list retains the original British spellings. One interesting item omitted from this list is the common expression, “So long,” as a way of saying, “Good Bye.”  This expression comes from British soldiers stationed in Indonesia during World War II, who heard the Indonesians say “Salang,” which is their way of pronouncing “Salaam,” which is Arabic for “Peace” - a greeting which originated in the Qur’an.  (As of 1/2/03, this list is a work in progress.)

ABYSSINIA ACCOUTRE ADMIRAL ADOBE ALBATROSS ALCAIDE ALCALDE ALCANNA ALCHEMY ALCOHOL ALCOVE ALEMBIC ALEPPIN ALFA HALFA ALFALFA ALGEBRA ALGORITHM ALIDADE ALKALI ALKANET ALMAGEST ALMANACH ALPACA AMALGAM AMBER AMICE AMULET ANILIN ANTIMONY APRICOT ARAB (horse) ARABESQUE ARRACK ARSENAL ARTICHOKE ASSASSIN ATLAS (cloth) AUBERGINE AVERAGE AZIMUTH AZOTH AZURE

BEDOUIN BENZINE BERBERINE BERGAMOT BEZOAR BISMUTH BLOUSE BOMBASINE BORAX BORAGE BRIGANTINE BUCKRAM BARCHANT

CUPOLA CYPHER

HAKEEM, HAKIM HASHISH HALALCOR HALICHORE HAZARD HENNA HOOKA HOWDAH

MATE MATTRESS MINARET MOCHA MOHAIR MOIRI MONSOON MOROCCO MORRIS MOSQUE MULATTO MUMMY MUSCADINE MUSCAT MUSCATEL MUSK MUSKET MUSLIN MYRRH

SANDALWOOD SAPPHIRE SARABANDE, SARACEN SATIN SENNA SEPOY SHELLAC SHERBET SHRUB S(H)UMACH SIROCCO SOFA SORBET SPAHI SPINACH SUGAR SULTAN SULTANA SYRUP

DAM DAMAN DAMASCENE DAMASK DAMBROD DAMSON DATE DEMI-JOHN DHOW DIVAN DRAGOMAN DRUG DRUSE DURRA

IRADE

JAR JASMINE JERBOA JUMP JUPE JUMPER JULEP

CABAS CABAYA CABLE CADI, CAUZEE CALIBRE CALIPH CAMEL CAMELIA CAMELOT CAMLET CAMPHOR CANDY CAPER CARAFE CARAT CARAVAN CARAWAY CARMINE CAROB CHECK CHECKMATE CHEMISTRY CHEQUE CHESS CHIFFON CID CINNABAR CIVET ZIBET COFFEE COFFLE CORDOVAN CORDWAIN COTTON COFFER COLCOTHAR CRAMOISY CRIMSON CUBEB CUMIN

ELEMI ELIXIR

KALIUM KAVASS KAWASS KERMES KISMET KOHL

FAKIR FANFARE FATA   MORGANA FELUCCA FELLAH FELLAHEEN FONDACO FRET FRIEZE

NABOB NACRE NADIR NAKER NAP NATRON NITRE NORIA

TABARDER TABARD TABBY TABOR TABORIN TABRET TAFFETA TALC TALISMAN TAMARIND TAMARISK TAMBOUR TAMBOURINE TARE TARIFF TAROT TARRAGON TASS TASSIE TEAK TOQUE TROUBADOUR TURBITH TURPETH TUTTY

LAC LACQUER LAKE LADANUM LAUDANUM LANDAU lapis-LAZULI LEE LILAC LEMON LOOFAH LOZENGE LUTE

OGIVE ORANGE OTTOMAN

GABELLE GALA GALINGALE GALLANT GAMASH GAUZE GAZE GAZELLE GAZETTE GHAZAL GIAOUR GUEBRE GIBRALTAR GIMBAL GINGER GIRAFFE GUIDE GUITAR CITHER CITOLE GITTERN ZITHER GYPSUM

PERCIVAL POPINJAY

RACE RACKET RAZZIA REALGAR REAM REBEC RICE RISK ROB ROC ROCKET ROOK

MAGAZINE MAJOLICA MAMELUKE MANCUS MARABOU MARABOUT MARCASITE MAROQUIN MARCHPANE MARZIPAN MASK MASQUE MASQUERADE MAT MATT MATACHIN

BABOON BACCARAT BALCONY BALDACHINO BANANA BARBERRY BARBICAN BAROQUE BARQUE BARQUENTINE

VIZIER

SACCHARIN SACRE SAFARI SAFFRON SAKER SALEP SALOP SAMBOOK

WAD

ZEDOARY ZENITH ZERO ZIRCON ZOUAVE

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