Who hasn’t come across that Arab person who links everything to Arab culture and tradition? Well sometimes, they might actually be correct – especially when it comes to the English language.
Here are 10 words in your daily vocabulary that actually originated from Arabic:
Coffee
Coffee, or “qahwa” in Arabic, originated from the Arab world where it is still a widely loved hot beverage. Also used in many beauty products, coffee is said to help boost circulation in the skin and reduce cellulite!
Elixir
Elixir in English and al-iksir in Arabic is the universal word for a healing potion or lotion.
Kohl
Eyeliner has been used in the Middle East since ancient times – and has been used in modern times to meet beauty standards. Also pronounced “kohl”, it comes from the Arabic word “Kah’ala” for stain or paint.
Carat
Carat is the English term for the measure of every 200mg of gemstones and is akin to the Arabic word pronounced “qi-ra-t”, meaning “small weight”.
Crimson
The Arabic word for the vivid colour is “qirmazi”, coming from the word “qirmiz”- which is the insect that provides the dye for the crimson shade.
Sequin
The word sequin’s roots go way back to the Arabic word for “coin”, which is “sikkah” – and sequins are essentially small decorative coins….so…..
Muslin
“Maus-il” in Arabic is muslin, the light cotton fabric we all know and love. It was first manufactured in Mosul in Iraq.
Mask
Masks are either part of your beauty regime or something you’re wearing to a costume party, but overall, they’re mostly silly looking and the English word is said to be closely related to the word, “maskhara”, which in Arabic, means “buffoon”!
Mohair
Mohair is often found in knitwear and other fashionable items, but if you must know, the word comes from the Arabic term for a cloth made from goat hair, “mukhayyar”.
Loofah
The same in Egypt, the word “lu-fah” derives from the fibrous plant that has pods which are used as sponges as well as for many other ecofriendly home décor ideas!
