English Words from Arabic
alcohol
الكُحْل
al-kuḥl
In medieval Latin it meant any very fine powder, then any refined essence, and at last the spirit of wine. It came back into Arabic as kuḥūl.
- Meaning in Arabic
- kohl, a fine powder for the eyes
- Arabic today says
- الكُحُول
The path between languagesal-kuḥl → alcohol → كُحُول
It left Arabic and came back to it in its European form.
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