15 English Words You Wouldn't Believe Were of Arabic Origin
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 © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Giraffe
Written in Arabic as: زرافة
Giraffe © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Algebra
Written in Arabic as: الجبر
Algebra © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Sofa
Written in Arabic as: صفّة
Sofa © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Sugar
Written in Arabic as: سكّر
Sugar © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Cotton
Written in Arabic as: قطن
Cotton © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Safari
Written in Arabic as: سفر
Safari © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Ghoul
Written in Arabic as: غول
Ghoul | © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Candy
Written in Arabic as: قندي
Candy | © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Alchemy
Written in Arabic as: الكيمياء
Alchemy © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Gazelle
Written in Arabic as: غزال
Gazelle © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Mattress
Written in Arabic as: مطرح
Mattress © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Admiral
Written in Arabic as: أمير
Admiral © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Tariff
Written in Arabic as: تعريف
Tariff © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
Alcohol
Written in Arabic as: الكحل
Alcohol © Culture Trip/Thais Kelly
