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Arabic in Cards

English Words from Arabic

Everyday English words, each with a journey from Arabic – and some came back home.

53 cards
algebra algorithm alcohol

Why these cards?

English has far more words from Arabic than any set of cards could hold. These are samples, chosen on three conditions: two standard English dictionaries confirm the Arabic origin, the word is one you use every day, and its journey has a story. The series grows as we find more.

Showing 35 of 53 Show all

algebra
al-jabr
algorithm
al-Khwārizmī
alcohol
al-kuḥl
admiral
amīr al-…
arsenal
dār aṣ-ṣināʿa
coffee
qahwa
cotton
quṭn
syrup
sharāb
sherbet
sharba
saffron
zaʿfarān
artichoke
al-kharshūf
tariff
taʿrīf
magazine
makhāzin
zero
ṣifr
cipher
ṣifr
zenith
samt ar-raʾs
nadir
naẓīr as-samt
azimuth
as-sumūt
average
ʿawāriyya
mattress
maṭraḥ
jar
jarra
gazelle
ghazāl
giraffe
zarāfa
monsoon
mawsim
safari
safar
alcove
al-qubba
lute
al-ʿūd
amber
ʿanbar
alkali
al-qily
mohair
mukhayyar
muslin
mawṣilī
tabby
ʿattābī
henna
ḥinnāʾ
tamarind
tamr hindī
assassin
ḥashshāshīn