English Words of Arabic Origin

English Word / Arabic origin/meaning / English Word / Arabic origin/meaning
admiral / amir al (commander of) / divan / diwa (hall, assembly)
albacore / al-bakurah / damask / Dimashq (Damascus, Syria)
alcazar / al-qusr (the castle) / elixir / al-iksir
alchemy / al-kimiya / gazelle / ghazal
alcohol / al-kuhul (powdered antimony) / gauze / quazz (raw silk)
alcove / al-qubbuh (the arch) / genie / jJinniy (demon)
alfalfa / alfasfasah / ghoul / ghul
algebra / al-jabr (the reduction) / giraffe / zirafah
algorithm / al-Khwarizmi (a 9th century Arab mathematician) / guitar / qitar
Alhambra / al-hamra (the red house) / gypsum / jibs (plaster)
alkali / al-qili (ashes of the saltwort plant) / hashish / hashish
almanac / al-manakh (the climate) / hazard / az-zahr (the die)
amber / anbar / henna / hinna
apricot / al-birquq / jar / jarrah
arsenal / dar sina’ah (house of manufacture) / jinn / jinniy (demon)
artichoke / al-khurshuf, ardi shauki (choke of the earth) / kismet / qismah (portion, lot)
assassin / hashshashin (users or hashish) / lemon / laymun
average / awariyah (damaged merchandise) / lilac / lilak
azure, lapis lazuli / lazuward / loofah / lufa
balsam / bBalsaan (the balm tree) / lute / al-ud
borax / buraq / jasmine / yasmine
calabash / qar’ah yabisah (dry gourd) / macramé / migramah (embroidered veil)
caliber / qalib (mold, model) / magazine / makhazin (storehouses)
caliph / khalifah (successor) / mascara / maskharah (buffoon)
camel / jamal / mocha / mukha (Mocha, a city in Yemen)
camise / qamis / mohair / mukhayyar (having the choice)
camphor / kafur / monsoon / mawsim (season)
carafe / gharrafah / mummy / mumiyah
carmine / qirmiz (kermes, insects for making red dye) / muslin / mawsiliy (from Mosul, Iraq)
carat / qirat (bean pod; a small weight) / myrrh / murr
caraway / karawiya / nadir / nazir (opposite)
checkmate / shah mat (the king is dead) / orange / naranj
coffee / qahwa / racket / rahah (palm of the hand)
cotton / qutn / ream / rizmah (bale, bundle)
cipher / sifr (empty, zero) / safari / safara (to travel)
cigar / sigara / safflower / asfar (yellow)
cork / qurq / saffron / za’faran
crimson / qirmizi / sash / shash (muslin)
cumin / kammun / sesame / simsim
sequin / sikkah (die, coin) / tamarind / tamr hindi (Indian date)
sherbet / sharbah (a drink) / tambourine / tanbur ( a stringed instrument)
sofa / suffah (long bench) / tariff / ta’rif (information, notification)
sugar / sukkar / tarragon / tarkhun
sumac / summaq / typhoon / tufan (flood, damage)
syrup / sharab (beverage, drink) / vizier / wazir
talc / talq / zenith / samt (way)
talisman / tilasm / zero / sifr