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15 English Words You Wouldn't Believe Were of Arabic Origin

Flat White Coffee
Flat White Coffee | © Russell James Smith

The Arabic language is poetic and beautiful, full of words that can’t even be translated into English without losing their meaning. However, there are certain words that not only can be easily translated, they actually gave origin to words in English which people use every single day. So next time you’re ordering your coffee or sitting on your sofa, remember where these words came from: Arabic!

Coffee

Written in Arabic as: قهوة

Coffee

Giraffe

Written in Arabic as: زرافة

Giraffe

Algebra

Written in Arabic as: الجبر

Algebra

Sofa

Written in Arabic as: صفّة

Sofa

Sugar

Written in Arabic as: سكّر

Sugar

Cotton

Written in Arabic as: قطن

Cotton

Safari

Written in Arabic as: سفر

Safari

Ghoul

Written in Arabic as: غول

Ghoul

Candy

Written in Arabic as: قندي

Candy

Alchemy

Written in Arabic as: الكيمياء

Alchemy

Gazelle

Written in Arabic as: غزال

Gazelle

Mattress

Written in Arabic as: مطرح

Mattress

Admiral

Written in Arabic as: أمير

Admiral

Tariff

Written in Arabic as: تعريف

Tariff

Alcohol

Written in Arabic as: الكحل

Alcohol
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