Words Arabic Took In
thēriakē
التِّرياق
tiryāq
Tiryāq, 'antidote', is Greek thēriakē, 'concerning venomous beasts'. Al-Khwarizmi the Secretary derives it from Greek 'therion', biting creatures; Ibn Durayd and al-Jawaliqi called it Greek, al-Jawhari Persian. English treacle comes from the same source through Latin; Spanish triaca, says the Royal Spanish Academy, came from Andalusi Arabic.
- Came
- From Greek
- Original meaning
- concerning venomous beasts
- Meaning in Arabic
- antidote
«الترياق مشتقٌّ من تيريون باليونانيّة، وهو اسمٌ لما ينهس من الحيوان كالأفاعي ونحوها، ويقال له بالعربيّة أيضًا: الدرياق.»
It then went on from Arabic into European languages.
Al-Fayruzabadi split it into two Greek words; al-Shidyaq replied that Greek has no q and that the Greek word is thēriaka (al-Jasus 'ala al-Qamus p. 318). Al-Saghani, like al-Jawhari, called it 'a Persian compound'.
English treacle and French thériaque did not pass through Arabic: they came from Greek through Latin, and the word is in Old English before the year 1000.
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