Are there any English words borrowed from Arabic?

English Words from Arabic

refer to the list beloow wherein Some words are borrowed directly from Arabic; but most of these words have taken the scenic route, through Spanish, Italian, and/or French; or through Turkish, Persian, or Urdu; or through Hebrew or Latin. This produces a good deal of phonological deformation; as does the dialect variation within Arabic.

admiral - ami:r-al-bahr 'ruler of the seas' (and other similar expressions) - amara command adobe - al-toba 'the brick' albacore - al-bukr 'the young camel' alchemy - al-ki:mi:a: - from Greek alcohol - al-koh''l 'the kohl' alcove - al-qobbah 'vault' - qubba vault alembic - al-ambi:q 'the still' - from Greek alfalfa - alfas,fas,ah 'fodder' algebra - al-jebr 'reintegration' - jabara reunite Algol - al-ghu:l 'the ghoul' algorithm - al-Khowarazmi 'the (man) of Khiva' alkali - al-qaliy 'calx' - qalay fry, roast Allah - `allah, from contraction of al-ilah 'the god' Almagest - al-majisti - from Greek almanac - (Andalucian Arabic) al-mana:kh, of uncertain origin amber - `anbar 'ambergris' antimony - al-íthmid 'antimony trisulphide' - perhaps from Greek apricot - al-burquq - from Greek Arab - `arab arsenal - dar as,s,ina`ah 'house of making', i.e. 'factory' - s,ana`a make artichoke - al-kharshu:f assagai - az-zaghayah - from Berber assassin - h'ashsha:shi:n 'hashish eaters', from the Isma`ili sectarians attar - `itr 'aroma' ayatollah - 'ayatu-llah 'miraculous sign of God' azimuth - as-sumut 'the paths'; see also zenith azure - al-lazward 'lapis lazuli' - from Persian

barbican - (possibly) bâb-al-baqara 'gate with holes' berdache - (possibly) bardaj 'slave' Betelgeuse - bi:t al-jauza:' 'shoulder of the Giant' bezoar - bazahr - from Persian bint - bint 'daughter bled - balad 'vast open country' borax - bu:raq - from Persian burka - burqa` burnouse - burnus

caliber - qali:b 'mold, last' - calico - Qaliqu:t 'Calicut', city in India caliph - khali:fah 'successor' - khalafa 'succeed' camise - qami:s 'shirt' - from Latin camphor - ka:fu:r - from Malay candy - short for 'sugar candy', from sugar + qandi 'candied', from qand 'cane sugar' - from a Dravidian language carat - qi:ra:t 'small weight' - from Greek caraway - alkarawya: - probably from Greek carafe - gharra:f - gharafa 'dip' carmine - qirmazi: 'crimson' carob - kharrubah cassock - kaza:ghand 'padded jacket' - from Persian check - sha:h 'king' - from Persian checkmate - sha:h ma:t 'the king is dead' chemistry - see alchemy chess - from Old French eschecs, plural of check cipher - s,ifr 'empty' civet - zaba:d coffee - qahwah Copt - quft - from Greek cork - qu:rq cotton - qutn couscous - kuskus - kaskasa pound, bruise crimson - qirmazi:, related to the qirmiz, the insect that provided the dye

Deneb - danab al-jaja:ja 'tail of the hen' dhow - da:w dinar - di:na:r - from Greek dirham - dirham - from Greek dragoman - tarjuma:n - tarjama interpret drub - daraba 'beat' dura mater - Latin calque on umm al-ghali:dah 'hard mother'

efreet - 'ifri:t 'monster' El Cid - al-Sayyid 'the lord' elixir - al-iksi:r 'philosopher's stone' - from Greek emir - ami:r - amara command

fakir - faqi:r 'poor man' - faqura be poor fardel - fardah 'load' Farsi - Fa:rs 'Pars', a province of Iran - from Persian fatwa - fetwa - fata: instruct by a legal decision fedayeen - fida:'iyi:n 'commandos' - fida:` redemption felafel - fala:fil fellah - fella:h' 'husbandman' - falah'a till felucca - fulk 'ship' - falaka be round Fomalhaut - fum u'l-haut 'mouth of the fish'

garble - gharbala 'sift' - perhaps from Latin gazelle - ghaza:l genie - jinni: 'spirit' gerbil - yarbu:` ghoul - ghu:l 'demon' - gha:la take suddenly giraffe - zara:fa hadith - h'adi:t 'tradition' haj - h'ajj 'pilgrimage' - h'ajja go on a pilgrimage halal - h'ala:l 'lawful' halvah - h'alwa: harem - h'aram 'prohibited, set apart' - h'arama prohibit hashish - h'ashi:sh 'dried herbs, hemp' hazard - yásara 'play at dice' hegira - hijrah 'departure' - hajara separate, go henna - h'enna:` Hezbollah - H'izbulla:h 'party of God' hookah - h'uqqah 'water bottle (through which smoke is drawn)' houri - h'u:r al-`ayu:n 'with eyes like gazelles' - h'awura have eyes like gazelles

imam - ima:m 'leader' - amma precede Islam - isla:m 'submission' - aslama submit oneself

jar - jarrah 'large earthen vase' jasmine - ya:smi:n - from Persian jinn - jinn 'spirits', plural of genie julep - jula:b 'rose water' - from Persian

Kaaba - ka`bah 'square house' kabob - kaba:b - from Persian kaffir - ka:fir 'infidel' - kafara conceal, deny keffiyeh - kaffi:yah khamsin - khamsi:n 'fifty (days)' kismet - qisma 'portion, lot' - qasama divide kohl - koh''l 'kohl' - kah'ala stain, paint Koran - qura:n 'recitation' - qara`a read

lilac - li:la:k - from Persian lemon - laymu:n - from Persian lime - li:mah 'citrus fruit' loofah - lu:fah a plant whose pods were used as sponges lute - al-`u:d

macramé - miqramah 'striped cloth' magazine - makha:zin 'storehouses' - khazana store Mahdi - mahdi:y 'one who is guided aright' - hada: lead majlis - majlis 'council' mancala - mank.ala - nak.ala move marzipan - mawthaba:n 'coin featuring a seated figure' mask - perhaps maskhara 'buffoon' - sakhira ridicule mattress - matrah 'place where something is thrown, mat, cushion' - tarah'a throw minaret - mana:rah - na:r fire mohair - mukhayyar 'choice (goats'-hair cloth)' - khayyara select monsoon - mausim 'season' - wasama mark mosque - masgid - sagada worship Mozarabic - musta`rib 'would-be Arab' muezzin - mu'adhdhin 'criers' - adhana proclaim mufti - mufti: 'one who gives a fatwa' mujahedeen - muja:hidi:n 'figher in a jihad' mullah - mawla: 'master' mummy - mu:miya: 'embalmed body' - mu:m '(embalming) wax' Muslim - muslim 'submitter' - aslama submit oneself muslin - Maus,il 'Mosul'

nadir - nadi:r as-samt 'opposite the zenith' natron - natru:n - from Greek nizam - nidam 'government'

orange - na:ranj - from Sanskrit ottoman - `uthma:n, a proper name

pia mater - Latin calque on umm raqi:qah 'tender mother' popinjay - babagha: Primum Mobile - Latin calque on al-muh' arrik al-awwal 'the first mover'

racket - râh'et 'palm of the hand' Ramadan - Ramada:n meaning perhaps 'the hot month' - ramata be heated realgar - rehj al-gha:r 'powder of the cave' ream - rizmah 'bundle' rebec - reba:b Rigel - rijl 'foot (of Orion)' roc - rukh rook - rukh - from Persian Rubaiyyat - ruba:`i:yah 'quatrain'

safari - safari:y 'journey' - safara travel saffron - za`fara:n Sahara - çah'ra: 'desert' sahib - ça:h'ib 'friend' salaam - as-sala:m `alaikum 'peace be on you' saluki - salu:k.i: 'from Saluk' Saracen - sharqi:yi:n 'easterners' - sha:raqa rise sash - sha:sh 'muslin' satin - probably zaytu:ni: 'of Zaytu:n' (a city in China) scarlet - siqilla:t '(cloth) adorned with images' - from Latin sequin - sikkah 'die for coinmaking' Sharia - shari:`a sheikh - shaikh 'old man' - sha:kha grow old sherbet - sharbah - shariba drink Shiite - shiya`i:y, from shiya:` 'following, sect' - sha`a follow shrub [drink] - shurb 'a drink' - shariba drink sine - Latin sinus, mistranslation of jayb 'chord of an arc, sine', through confusion with jayb 'fold of a garment' sirocco - sharq 'east (wind)' - sha:raqa rise sofa - s,uffah 'raised dais with cushions' souk - su:k. 'marketplace' spinach - isfa:na:kh Sufi - çu:fi: 'man of wool' sugar - sukkar - from Sanskrit sultan - sulta:n 'sovereign' sumac - summa:q Sunni - sunni: 'lawful', from sunna:h 'rule, course' sura - su:rah syrup - shara:b 'beverage' - shariba drink

tabbouleh - tabbu:la tabby - `atta:biy, a neighborhood in Baghdad where taffeta was made tahini - - tah'ana crush Taliban - talib 'student' - talaba study talisman - tilsam - from Greek tamarind - tamr-hindi: 'date of India' tambourine - a small tambour, from tanbu:r - from Persian tandoori - tannu:r 'oven' tarboosh - tarbu:sh tare [weight] - tarh'ah 'rejected' - tarah'a reject tariff - ta`ri:f 'notification' - `arafa notify tarragon - tarkhu:n - possibly from Greek tell [mound] - tall 'hillock'

ujamaa - jama:` 'community' ulema - `ulima: 'the learned ones' - `alama know

Vega - al-nasr al-wa:qi` 'the falling vulture' vizier - wazi:r 'porter, public servant' - wazara carry

wadi - wa:di: Waqf - waqf 'religious foundation' wisdom tooth - from a Latin calque on adra:su 'l h'ikmi - calqued from Greek

zenith - samt 'path' zero - s,ifr 'empty'

Guess = Guess, and origin of the verb (Jesse) Arab. House = taken from the word (yard) Arab has entered the language in the year 1715 AD Castle = palace, the French and pronounced with al definition say Alcazar .Jar = from the jar in Arabic, and Frenswin say Jarre .Down + down, taken from the Arabic word (without) Cut = cut and pronunciation clear link with the distortion to suit the English. Canon = Arab law Candel = candle .. Arab lamp. Tail = from the Arabic word tail. Guide = guide .... from the word Arab leader. Cotton = very clear that it (cotton). Lemon = This is like its predecessor, it has entered the English 1400

: Mameluke owned, sultan Sultan, sheikh Sheikh, muezzin muezzin, mufti mufti, cadi judge carat carat, tarrif tariff, artichoke artichoke, tamarind tamarind, alcohol alcohol, carob carob, sash or shash gauze, saker falcon, roc bird Rook, giraffe giraffe.

agree with ms. dalal and ms. ghada

The most widely using Arabic word in English is "Zero". 

Well done, Ms. Ghada, for your detailed approach to this question.

Most Commonly used English words borrowed from Arabic are:

coffee, giraffe, sugar, cotton, alcohol, syrup, algebra and sofa etc. .

I agree with M's Dalal answers, thanks for the invitation. 

Thanks for invitation

I amagreeing with my colleague’s answer Ms. Ghada Eweda  

Yes, and the responses from Ms. Ghada and Ms. Dalal are enough proof. I cannot comment since Arabic is not my first language; I know only a little Arabic. But I am aware that the two sound systems bear some similarities, though their phonological and morphological features branched off and evolved differently. 

Fully agree with dalal alharbi>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Thank you for the invitation and I agree with Dr. Ghada