Why do so many Arabic loanwords in English start with 'al-'?

Because the Arabic definite article الـ (al-) was borrowed along with the noun: al-jabr → algebra, al-kuḥl → alcohol, al-kīmiyāʾ → alchemy, al-kharshūf → artichoke. Spanish did it even more (alcachofa, almohada). To get the dictionary form, drop the al-: جَبْر, كُحْل, كِيمياء, خُرْشُوف.

Can I use these words in Arabic with their English meanings?

Often no. كُحْل is eyeliner, not drinking alcohol (that is كُحُول). مَخْزَن is a warehouse, not a printed magazine (مَجَلَّة). صُفَّة is a stone bench, not a sofa (كَنَبَة). صَكّ is a legal deed, not a bank cheque (شيك). The note on each card flags the shift.

Are the words in this deck Modern Standard Arabic or dialect?

Every headword is Modern Standard Arabic. Where the word people actually say in Levantine or Egyptian differs, the note tells you: أرضي شوكي for artichoke, ليمون حامض for lemon, مَرْتَبَة for mattress, حِنّة for henna, كَنَبَة for sofa. The single Levantine example sentence, on مَطْرَح, is labelled as Levantine.

Which route did these words take into English?

Most came indirectly: through Spanish and Portuguese from al-Andalus (cotton, artichoke, spinach), through Italian trade (sugar, giraffe, zero, carat, tariff), through Turkish (coffee, sofa), through Latin translations of Arabic science (algebra, alchemy, zenith, azimuth), and a few through colonial-era contact (safari from safar via Swahili, loofah from Egyptian Arabic).

Arabic Words Used in English: 40 Everyday Loanwords

🇸🇦 Arabic · 40 cards · B1 · by Nour Haddad

English borrowed more from Arabic than most learners realise, and that is a shortcut worth using. In this deck I give you the 40 Arabic words behind familiar English ones: سُكَّر (sugar), جَبْر (algebra), صِفْر (zero), زَرافَة (giraffe), شَيْخ (sheikh).

The tricky part is that the meaning has usually drifted. كُحْل is eyeliner, not alcohol. مَخْزَن is a storeroom, not a magazine you read. صُفَّة is a stone bench; the sofa in my Beirut living room is a كَنَبَة. Every headword is Modern Standard Arabic, and where the word people actually say in Levantine or Egyptian differs, the note says so. Read the notes before you trust the cognate.

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How to use this deck

Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.

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All 40 cards

#	Arabic	Pronunciation	English	Example
1	سُكَّر Masculine. Reached English through Italian and Latin from Arabic sukkar, itself from Sanskrit.	sukkar	sugar	لا أضع السكر في الشاي. I don't put sugar in my tea.
2	قَهْوَة Feminine. Reached English via Turkish kahve. In Levantine speech it is pronounced 'ahwe.	qahwah	coffee	أشرب القهوة كل صباح من دون حليب. I drink coffee every morning without milk.
3	لَيْمُون Collective noun (one fruit = لَيْمُونَة). Levantine speakers say ليمون حامض for lemon and ليمون حلو for sweet lime.	laymūn	lemon; citrus	أضف قليلاً من عصير الليمون إلى السلطة. Add a little lemon juice to the salad.
4	قُطْن Entered English through Spanish and Old French from Arabic quṭn.	quṭn	cotton	هذا القميص من القطن الخالص. This shirt is pure cotton.
5	حُمُّص In Arabic the word means the chickpea itself; the dip is حُمُّص بِطَحِينَة (ḥummuṣ bi-ṭaḥīnah).	ḥummuṣ	chickpeas; hummus	نأكل الحمص مع الخبز الساخن. We eat hummus with hot bread.
6	سِمْسِم An old Semitic word; English sesame came via Greek, but the Arabic form is the one in 'open sesame' (افتح يا سمسم).	simsim	sesame	هذه الكعكة مغطاة بالسمسم. This cake is covered with sesame.
7	باذِنْجان Masculine collective noun. Arabic al-bādhinjān → Catalan albergínia → French aubergine.	bādhinjān	aubergine, eggplant	الباذنجان المشوي لذيذ مع الثوم. Grilled aubergine is delicious with garlic.
8	سَبانِخ Also إسْفاناخ (isfānākh); originally Persian, and it reached English through Spanish espinaca.	sabānikh	spinach	طبخت أمي فطائر السبانخ اليوم. My mother cooked spinach pies today.
9	خُرْشُوف Source of Spanish alcachofa and English artichoke. In Levantine and Egyptian markets people say أرضي شوكي (arḍī shawkī).	khurshūf	artichoke	لم أجرّب الخرشوف من قبل. I have never tried artichoke before.
10	زَعْفَرَان Arabic zaʿfarān → medieval Latin safranum → saffron.	zaʿfarān	saffron	الزعفران أغلى أنواع التوابل في العالم. Saffron is the most expensive kind of spice in the world.
11	تَمْر هِنْدِيّ Literally 'Indian date'. Two words in Arabic, one in English.	tamr hindī	tamarind	يبيعون شراب التمر الهندي في رمضان. They sell tamarind drink during Ramadan.
12	جَرَّة Feminine. Arabic jarrah → Spanish jarra → English jar.	jarrah	jar, earthenware pot	ضعي الزيتون في جرة زجاجية. Put the olives in a glass jar.
13	لُوفَة Feminine. English took the word from Egyptian Arabic in the nineteenth century.	lūfah	loofah, luffa sponge	نسيت اللوفة في الحمام. I forgot the loofah in the bathroom.
14	حِنَّاء Everyday Levantine says حِنّة (ḥinnah).	ḥinnāʾ	henna	زيّنت يديها بالحناء قبل العرس. She decorated her hands with henna before the wedding.
15	مَطْرَح This example is Levantine, where maṭraḥ means 'place'. English mattress comes from the older sense; the modern Arabic for mattress is مَرْتَبَة (martabah).	maṭraḥ	place, spot; (historically) place where cushions are thrown	ما في مطرح فاضي بالباص. There is no free spot on the bus.
16	مَخْزَن Source of magazine (a store of goods, then of ammunition). A magazine you read is مَجَلَّة (majallah).	makhzan	storeroom, warehouse	المخزن مليء بالصناديق الفارغة. The storeroom is full of empty boxes.
17	صُفَّة Feminine. Ancestor of sofa, via Turkish sofa. A sofa in a modern Arab living room is كَنَبَة (kanabah).	ṣuffah	stone bench, raised ledge	جلسنا على صُفّة حجرية أمام البيت. We sat on a stone bench in front of the house.
18	عُود Arabic al-ʿūd → Spanish laúd → English lute. Also the name of agarwood perfume.	ʿūd	oud (lute); stick, piece of wood	يعزف على العود كل مساء. He plays the oud every evening.
19	صِفْر From a root meaning 'to be empty'. Gave English both zero (via Italian) and cipher.	ṣifr	zero, nil	انتهت المباراة بنتيجة صفر–صفر. The match ended nil–nil.
20	جَبْر The subject takes the article: الجَبْر. From a root meaning 'to restore, set (a bone)', via the title of al-Khwārizmī's ninth-century book.	jabr	algebra	درسنا الجبر في الصف التاسع. We studied algebra in ninth grade.
21	كِيمياء Arabic al-kīmiyāʾ gave English alchemy, and from it chemistry.	kīmiyāʾ	chemistry	تدرس ابنتي الكيمياء في الجامعة. My daughter studies chemistry at university.
22	كُحْل Arabic al-kuḥl (fine powder) became alcohol through the alchemists' use of it for distilled essences. Drinking alcohol today is كُحُول (kuḥūl).	kuḥl	kohl, eyeliner powder	تضع الكحل على عينيها كل يوم. She puts kohl on her eyes every day.
23	قِيراط From Greek kerátion through Arabic, into English via Italian carato. Also an old land measure in Egypt.	qīrāṭ	carat, karat	اشترى ألماسة وزنها قيراطان. He bought a diamond weighing two carats.
24	سَمْت سَمْت الرَأْس ('direction of the head') became zenith; the plural السُمُوت (as-sumūt) gave azimuth.	samt	direction, azimuth	سمت الرأس هو أعلى نقطة في السماء. The zenith is the highest point in the sky.
25	صَحْراء Feminine. The Sahara is simply 'the desert' in Arabic, so 'Sahara Desert' repeats itself.	ṣaḥrāʾ	desert	كانت رحلتنا إلى الصحراء رائعة. Our trip to the desert was wonderful.
26	غَزال Also a compliment for a graceful person. Do not confuse it with غَزَل (ghazal), love poetry.	ghazāl	gazelle	رأينا غزالاً صغيراً قرب الطريق. We saw a small gazelle near the road.
27	زَرافَة Feminine. Arabic zarāfah → Italian giraffa → English giraffe.	zarāfah	giraffe	رقبة الزرافة طويلة جداً. The giraffe's neck is very long.
28	مَوْسِم Sailors' word for the sailing season; it reached English as monsoon through Portuguese monção.	mawsim	season, festival time	يبدأ موسم المانجو في الصيف. Mango season begins in summer.
29	سَفَر Borrowed into Swahili as safari ('journey'), and from there into English.	safar	travel, journey	السفر بالطائرة أسرع من السفر بالقطار. Travelling by plane is faster than travelling by train.
30	مُومِياء Feminine. Originally the bitumen used in embalming, from Persian mūm (wax). Nothing to do with British 'mummy' = mother.	mūmiyāʾ	mummy (embalmed body)	شاهدنا مومياء فرعونية في المتحف. We saw a pharaonic mummy in the museum.
31	تَعْرِيفَة Feminine, from the root ʿarrafa 'to make known'; into English via Italian tariffa. In Egypt تعريفة was also an old small coin.	taʿrīfah	tariff, price list	ارتفعت تعريفة الجمارك هذا العام. Customs tariffs rose this year.
32	صَكّ Ancestor of cheque/check, via Persian and Italian. A bank cheque today is شيك (shīk).	ṣakk	deed, written document	وقّع صكّ ملكية الأرض عند الكاتب العدل. He signed the land deed at the notary.
33	أَمِير Borrowed directly as emir; أمير البحر ('commander of the sea') is the source of admiral.	amīr	prince, emir, commander	زار الأمير المدينة أمس. The prince visited the city yesterday.
34	سُلْطان As an abstract noun it still means 'authority', as in لا سلطان له عليّ ('he has no power over me').	sulṭān	sultan; authority, power	كان السلطان يحكم من إسطنبول. The sultan ruled from Istanbul.
35	وَزِير The historical vizier, but in today's news simply a government minister. Also the queen in chess.	wazīr	minister, vizier	سيزور وزير التربية والتعليم المدرسة غداً. The minister of education will visit the school tomorrow.
36	شَيْخ Literally 'old man'. Used for tribal leaders, clerics, and respectfully for any elderly man. Plural شُيوخ (shuyūkh).	shaykh	sheikh; elder, religious scholar	يخطب الشيخ في المسجد يوم الجمعة. The sheikh preaches in the mosque on Friday.
37	حِجاب Root meaning 'to screen off'; also used for a partition and, colloquially, a protective amulet.	ḥijāb	hijab, headscarf; barrier	قررت أن ترتدي الحجاب هذا العام. She decided to wear the hijab this year.
38	حَلال Opposite of حَرام (ḥarām, forbidden). Used far beyond food: money, work, marriage.	ḥalāl	halal, permitted	هل هذا اللحم حلال؟ Is this meat halal?
39	فَتْوَى Feminine. A scholar's legal opinion, not necessarily a condemnation as English usage often implies. Plural فَتاوى (fatāwā).	fatwā	fatwa, religious ruling	أصدر المفتي فتوى جديدة. The mufti issued a new fatwa.
40	انْتِفاضَة Feminine; literally 'a shaking off'. In Arabic it can describe any popular uprising, not only the Palestinian ones.	intifāḍah	uprising, intifada	بدأت الانتفاضة الأولى عام ١٩٨٧. The first intifada began in 1987.

Nour Haddad

Native Arabic · Speaks English, French

Beirut native. My decks use Modern Standard Arabic and say so when a word is really Levantine or Egyptian, because learners deserve to know which one they are memorising.

Published 17 Sept 2026

Questions about this deck

Why do so many Arabic loanwords in English start with 'al-'?: Because the Arabic definite article الـ (al-) was borrowed along with the noun: al-jabr → algebra, al-kuḥl → alcohol, al-kīmiyāʾ → alchemy, al-kharshūf → artichoke. Spanish did it even more (alcachofa, almohada). To get the dictionary form, drop the al-: جَبْر, كُحْل, كِيمياء, خُرْشُوف.
Can I use these words in Arabic with their English meanings?: Often no. كُحْل is eyeliner, not drinking alcohol (that is كُحُول). مَخْزَن is a warehouse, not a printed magazine (مَجَلَّة). صُفَّة is a stone bench, not a sofa (كَنَبَة). صَكّ is a legal deed, not a bank cheque (شيك). The note on each card flags the shift.
Are the words in this deck Modern Standard Arabic or dialect?: Every headword is Modern Standard Arabic. Where the word people actually say in Levantine or Egyptian differs, the note tells you: أرضي شوكي for artichoke, ليمون حامض for lemon, مَرْتَبَة for mattress, حِنّة for henna, كَنَبَة for sofa. The single Levantine example sentence, on مَطْرَح, is labelled as Levantine.
Which route did these words take into English?: Most came indirectly: through Spanish and Portuguese from al-Andalus (cotton, artichoke, spinach), through Italian trade (sugar, giraffe, zero, carat, tariff), through Turkish (coffee, sofa), through Latin translations of Arabic science (algebra, alchemy, zenith, azimuth), and a few through colonial-era contact (safari from safar via Swahili, loofah from Egyptian Arabic).

Arabic Words Used in English: 40 Everyday Loanwords

All 40 cards

Questions about this deck

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