Arabic Word in English: Serendipity

The word SERENDIPITY was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754, creating the English word on the basis of the place name "Serendip," which is an old name for Sri Lanka (Ceylon); it is sometimes spelled Serendib. Walpole had in mind a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip in which the heroes were always making happy discoveries by accident, hence the meaning Walpole gave to serendipity: "[people] making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." The word "serendipity" (not capitalized) now refers to any type of happy accident or a pleasant surprise. You can read more about the Three Princes of Serendip in this Wikipedia article.

The English place name Serendip is from the Arabic name, Sarandib. There are in turn various etymologies proposed for this word; the one I like best is the Sanskrit  Sinhaladvipa, the Lion Island (Sinhala-Dvipa). Another possibility is Suvarnadvipa, the Golden Island (Suvarna-Dvipa). For more about the names of Sri Lanka, see this Wikipedia article.

(Maskeliya, in Sri Lanka)

Arabic Word in English: Elixir

The English word ELIXIR comes from the medieval Latin elixir, meaning an alchemical substance able to turn base metals into gold. It also was used in a wider sense to refer to powders and liquids able to cure diseases and to prolong life (Latin elixir vitae, the "elixir of life"). The elixir is sometimes considered synonymous with the "philosopher's stone," a term recently made famous again by J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the U.S. market).

The medieval Latin word in turn comes from Arabic al-iksir. The Arabic word probably comes late Greek xerion, a powder used in the drying of words, from the Greek root xeros, meaning "dry." (You see the same Greek root in the name of the company Xerox.)

By the late 16th century, the English elixir referred to any kind of strong medicinal tonic. Already in the 17th century, it was being used to refer to quack medicines. The image below shows Dr. Poppy's Wonder Elixir (from Flickr):

Arabic Word in English: Tabby

Have you ever wondered where "tabby" cats got their name? It's a wonderful etymology. The English word "tabby" is a noun, dating to the early 17th century, referring to a "striped silk taffeta." The English word is a borrowing from French tabis, which was atabis in medieval French - and that French word was in turn from Arabic 'attabiya, meaning from the Attabiya neighborhood of Baghdad where this striped cloth was made.

So that is where the tabby cat, with its distinctive striped coat, got its name! You can learn more in the entry for "tabby" at etymonline.com.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Persian Word in English: Jasmine

We get the English word "jasmine" from French jasmin (compare Latin: jasminum). Jasmine was first cultivated in English in the 16th century.

The French word in turn comes from Arabic yasamin, which is borrowed from Persian yasmin. The word is also found in Middle Persian: yasaman.

The Greeks also borrowed this Persian word: iasme, which the medical writer Dioscorides used in reference to a Persian perfume, perhaps oil of jasmine.

From Abraham Cowley's Essays in Verse and Prose (1669), there are these lovely lines:

Who, that has Reason, and his Smell,
Would not among Roses and Jasmin dwell?
Rather then all his Spirits choak
With Exhalations of Durt and Smoak?

The image is from Wikipedia:

Arabic Word in English: Nadir

The English word "nadir" originally had a strictly astronomical meaning the point of the celestial sphere which is opposite of the zenith. So, while the zenith is the highest point reached by a celestial object, the nadir is the lowest point reached by that object. The orientation of high and low are determined by gravitational pull; gravity pulls down towards the nadir. Since the late 18th century, however, the word has been used metaphorically to mean the lowest point of anything.

The word comes to English via medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic nazir, meaning "opposite." The complete Arabic astrological phrase is nazir as-samt, "opposite the zenith." (English also gets the word "zenith" from Arabic; I'll post about that another time.)

The image below is from Wikipedia:

Arabic Word in English: Sirocco

The English word "sirocco" comes to English from Italian sirocco / scirocco. It refers specifically to a hot wind in the Mediterranean that blows from north African into southern Europe. For more information about the sirocco wind, see this fascinating Wikipedia article: Sirocco.

The Italian word in turn comes from Arabic sharqi, meaning "eastern, the east wind," from sharq, meaning "the east." The root is sharaqa, "to rise." Because the sun rises in the east, Arabic sharq means "east," just as the Latin word oriens, "rising," gives us the English words Orient and Oriental.

The image below shows a NASA satellite image of a sirocco wind out of Libya blowing dust over the Mediterranean and southern Europe.

The other easterly winds of the Mediterranean are the Levant wind and the Gregale. here is a handy graphic that shows the specialized names of these Mediterranean winds:

Arabic Word in English: Artichoke

Our English "artichoke" is borrowed from the northern Italian articiocco, which in turn is from Spanish alcarchofa and Spanish Arabic al-karshufa (modern standard Arabic al-qarshuf). The al- prefix is the Arabic article ("the"); the standard Italian word for artichoke, carciofo, does not have the initial al- article.

Photo by Cascadian Farm at Flickr:

Persian Word in English: Bezoar

Fans of Harry Potter will be interested in today's word. The English word "bezoar" (yes, it really is an English word!) is something indigestible that is caught in the stomach or somewhere in the gastrointestinal system. For example, the indigestible parts of food (such as seeds or pits) can form bezoars. The trichobezoar, an extreme form of hairball, is a bezoar formed from hair.

Bezoars extracted from the digestive system (often called "bezoar stones") were supposed in medieval and early modern medicine to have medicinal value as an all-purpose antidote to poison. For more information about bezoars and poison, see this Wikipedia article: Bezoar.

The English word comes Latin lapis bezoarticus, which in turn is from Arabic bazahr, borrowed from Persian padzahr, meaning counter-poison,  pad-zahr (Arabic does not have a "p" sound, so the initial Persian "p" is voiced as "b").

The image below shows bezoar stones in the Pharmacy Museum of Heidelberg Castle, Germany.

Arabic Word in English: Alfalfa

The English plant name ALFALFA comes to us via Spanish alfalfa, which is from Arabic al-fasfasa. It is likely that the Arabic word comes from Middle Persian word, aspast. Alfalfa is also known by the name lucerne. Alfalfa is the name used in America, Canada, and Australia, while lucerne is the name used in the UK, South Africa and New Zealand.

The Roman agricultural writer Palladius praised alfalfa as a forage crop, and he called it by the name "Medica" because it was a plant supposed to come from the Medes who lived in ancient Persia. It is from this Latin name that alfalfa gets its scientific genus name: Medicago. Alfalfa was introduced to Spain during the Umayyad conquest in the eighth century, hence the use of the Arabic name al-fisfsa, which became Spanish alfalfa. You can read more about Alfalfa in this Wikipedia article.

The image below shows an alfalfa field:

Arabic Word in English: Saffron

The English word SAFFRON comes from Old French safran and medieval Latin safranum, both of which come from Arabic az-za'faran. You can learn about the different varieties of saffron at the Penzeys website.

Saffron is collected from the crimson stigmas of the autumnal crocus (Crocus sativus):

The image below shows a saffron crop of harvested threads:

Turkish Word in English: Sherbet

The English word SHERBET began its life in English as zerbet, from Turkish serbet, a drink made from sweetened fruit juice cooled with snow. The Turkish word in turn came from Persian sharbat and Arabic sharba, meaning a "drink," from the verb shariba, "drink."

In British English, "sherbet powder" is a fizzy powder sweet which can be eaten on its own or used to make a fizzy drink. You can read about the many varieties of sherbet powders in this Wikipedia article. In the world of Harry Potter, Dumbledore is very fond of "sherbet lemons," although in the U.S. version of the book, the text is changed to "lemon drops."

In the U.S., a sherbet (often pronounced "sherbert") is a frozen dessert like a sorbet, but with a small amount of milkfat. You can find a recipe for strawberry sherbet at the Eat-Drink-Love.com website.

Arabic Word in English: Lemon and Lime

The English words LEMON and LIME both come from Old French lymon, meaning "citrus fruit" (including both lemon and lime) which in turn comes from Arabic laimun, while the Arabic comes from Persian limu (again with the meaning "citrus fruit"), which is cognate with Sanskrit nimbu ("lime").

You can learn more about lemons and limes at Wikipedia.

The first image shows a lemon tree with its fruit and flower, and the second image shows limes on a lime tree:

Arabic Word in English: Sofa

The English word SOFA originally meant a part of the floor raised up a foot or two and covered with carpets and cushions. The word is from Arabic soffah, meaning a bench or couch.

The English usage of "sofa" to refer to a long stuffed seat dates to the early 18th century.

The image below shows an antique green sofa:

Arabic Word in English: Alhambra

The Alhambra was the palace of the Moorish kings of Spain, located in the city of Granada. The full name in Arabic is (Al Kal'at) Al Hamra, The Red (Castle). The first fortress was built on the site in the year 889, and it was expanded into a royal palace in the 14th century by Yusuf I, the Sultan of Granada. The red refers to the red clay used in the building. Today the Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage site. You can read more about the Alhambra in this Wikipedia article.

For people who are interested in learning about Moorish Spain, I can highly recommend the historical novel Leo Africanus by Amin Maalouf. The first part of the novel is set in Granada in the 16th century.

The image below shows an architectural detail from the Alhambra:

Arabic Word in English: Gerbil

The English word GERBIL comes from French gerbille. The French is from Latin gerbillus, diminutive of gerbo, which is in turn from Arabic yarbu. The Oxford English Dictionary provides this citation for 1702: "I was presented with a small Animal called Gerbo, which was brought for a rarity from Barbary."

I had a pet gerbil when I was little! You can read more about gerbils in this Wikipedia article.

The image is by Peter Roberts at Flickr:

Arabic Word in English: Demitasse

The English word DEMITASSE is a borrowing from French, meaning "half-cup," demi+tasse. The French word is in turn from the Arabic tassah, from Persian tasht, meaning a cup or a saucer. (Compare Italian tazza and Spanish taza.)

The noun demitasse is also used attributively as, for example, in the phrase "demitasse spoon."

The image below shows a demitasse cup of espresso:

Arabic Word in English: Gazelle

The English word GAZELLE comes from French gazelle, and ultimately from the Arabic ghazāl. This Arabic word for the animal, ghazāl, is very similar to the word for a famous type of love poetry: the ghazal.

The image below shows an African gazelle as depicted in an 18th-century book of natural history:

This image is a 5th-century alabaster carving from South Arabia:

Arabic Word in English: Giraffe

The English word GIRAFFE comes from Italian giraffa, which is in turn from Arabic zarafa. You can read more about the remarkable giraffe at Wikipedia.

Before the word "giraffe" entered English, the word "camelopard" was used instead, from the Latin camelopardus.

The image below shows a West African giraffe:

Arabic Word in English: Sugar

The English word SUGAR comes to English via French sucre and medieval Latin succarum (zuccarum; via the medieval Latin variant saccharum we get the English word "saccharine"). These words came to Europe via Arabic sukkar. It seems fairly certain that this Arabic word comes from Persian shakar, which is in turn from Sanskrit sharkara, meaning "rock-candy sugar" (originally just "rock, grit, gravel").

The English word JAGGERY, referring to a dark brown sugar made in India from palm sap, comes via Portuguese jagara from Kannada sharkare, which in turns comes from Sanskrit sharkara, the same word that also led to English "sugar."

The image below shows different kinds of sugar: (clockwise from top left) white refined sugar, unrefined sugar, brown sugar and unprocessed cane sugar.

Sanskrit Word in English: Candy

The English word "candy" dates back to the late 13th century, borrowed from Old French phrase çucre candi "sugar candy" (there is also a medieval Latin form: saccharum candi).

The "candy" part of the phrase comes from Arabic qandi, "crystalized sugar," and likewise Persian kand (reborrowed later from Arabic as qand).

It seems likely that the Arabic and Persian words derive from Sanskrit khanda, "piece (of candied sugar)." It seems possible in turn that this Sanskrit word is a Dravidian borrowing; compare the Tamil word kantu, meaning "ball (of candied sugar)."

If you poke around on the Internet, you will find claims that the Arabic qandi has something to do with the island of Crete and sugar production there. This is a misunderstanding, however, probably prompted by the medieval Latin name for Crete, Candia (English "Candy"), which comes from the Arabic Khandaq, a place name having nothing to do with crystalized sugar.

The image below shows a cotton candy vendor in Tamil Nadu (photo by Abhijit at Flickr).