‘IT’S ARABIC’
‘IT’S ARABIC’
AZIMUTH
Azimuth is derived from the Arabic words zawiyat al samt and is the horizontal part of the direction of a star from the observer, and comes from al samt, meaning path or direction. it is one of many astronomica l terms that came into Medieval Europe from science in the Arab world.
JUMPER
A sweater or pullover derived from a sailor’s loose outer jacket. The word arrived in English via the old French adaptation of the arabic word jubba, meaning a robe that can be worn by either sex, the oxford English dictionary says.
GERBIL
There are approximately 150 species of gerbil or desert rats, which are native to North Africa, India and Eastern Asia. In Arabic, the rodents are called jarbu. They spread, along with their usage, into the Iberian Peninsula, with jarbu being distorted into gerbil in old French.
MACRAME
The embroidery form macrame in English has been adopted from both Spanish and French usage describing satin and silks which were heavily embroidered or bejeweled. In Arabic, miqrama refers to an embroidered veil and its meaning spread through trade in textiles.
SIROCCO
Sirocco refers to a wind that blows across the North African desert from the east. It is a Spanish derivative of the word Sharqiyyah or eastern in Arabic. By the 16th century, sirocco was adopted from Spanish into English to describe warm easterly winds.
ALBATROSS
To early Arab mariners and voyagers, the bird with the largest wingspan was impressive in the manner in which it dived into the sea. Al Ghattas means diver, with Albatross being a derivative, spreading through the seaboards of Western Europe.
SAFFRON
The origin of the word saffron is derived from the Arabic word zafaraan, meaning ‘yellow’ and has been used as a colouring and spice in foods for at least 3,000 years.
MONSOON
Monsoon rains occur in the period between June and September in southeast Asia. Monsoon derives from the Arabic word mawsim meaning season. The word was adopted into English as a result of mid-to-late 18th century English travellers to the Indian subcontinent.
ALCOVE
Alcove derives from the Arabic word al qubbah which refers to a vault, as in a vaulted ceiling or dome. Islamic architectural style and engineering was introduced into Andalusia on the Iberian Peninsula before being copied throughout medieval Europe.
MATTRESS
The word mattress derives from the Arabic word matrah, meaning a large cushion or soft rug to lie upon. It came to English use in the 14th Century after spreading from Spain into France at the turn of the 10th Century
SUMAC
Sumac derives from the Arabic word summaq. Its components have been historically used to spice food, in leather making and the dyeing of cloths and as a traditional herbal medicine for stomach ailments.
SPINACH
Spinach derives from isfanakh in eastern classical Arabic, later evolving to spanekh in Arabic. It was introduced by Arabs to Spain around 10th century, from where it spread to the rest of Europe.
ORANGE
Descends from the Arabic word naranj and the tree itself is native to India. Arabs introduced the orange tree to the Mediterranean region in the early 10th century and was brought to Western Europe by returning Crusaders.
CUMIN
Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family and derives from the Arabic word kammun. It was first introduced to Europe in the 12th and 13th Centuries.
AMBER
The English word amber derives from the Arabic anbar, via medieval Latin ambar and Old French ambre. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry.
LEMON
Lemons - laymoon in Arabic - are native to India and China and introduced to Persia, Iraq and Egypt around 700 AD. The lemon was first recorded in literature in 10th century Arabic treatise on farming, and was also used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens.
