ARABIC AND QURANIC WORDS IN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES
In works dealing with words of Arabic origin in European languages, one must navigate between two pitfalls: not being deceived by the deliberate etymological concealment that affected languages once considered “barbaric” — notably Arabic, Persian, and Turkish — which is now a recognised fact that modern etymologists are working to correct. On the other hand, one must not fall into the excess of seeing an Arabic origin in every similarity. It is often difficult to distinguish words genuinely of Arabic origin from those that simply passed through the Arabic language. In etymology, everything is ultimately a matter of transit. Coincidental resemblances also sometimes occur.
Below are some English and French words whose Arabic etymology is attested or the subject of serious hypothesis. These are exclusively words whose Quranic roots can be identified. At the end of the page, a list of words with striking resemblances — though without reliable etymological sources — serves as a useful mnemonic device for learning Arabic vocabulary.
Algebra
The etymology of this term is well known and uncontested: from the Arabic word الجبر al-jabr, meaning “the reduction of a fracture”, “bone-setting”, “restoration of order”, or “constraint”. It reached European languages through the celebrated work of the mathematician al-Khwārizmī, Kitāb al-mukhtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala (“A Compendium on Calculation by Restoration and Balancing”), written around 825 CE.
In the Quran, the root J-B-R appears in the intensive adjective form Jabbār, designating a person of overwhelming power, or a tyrant. This word is also one of the 99 names of God, in the sense of “He who sets things aright” or “He who is supremely powerful”.
Arobase (@ symbol)
The @ symbol, known in French as “arobase” and in English as “at sign”, is thought by some etymologists to derive from the Arabic أَرُوبَة arroba — a unit of weight used in the Islamic world and later in Spain and Portugal. The term passed into Spanish and Portuguese before spreading further. Whether this is truly the origin of the typographic symbol remains debated.
Avanie / Humiliation
The French word avanie (humiliation, affront) is linked by certain etymologists to the Arabic هَوَان hawān, meaning humiliation, contempt, or abasement.
The root H-W-N appears in the Quran in the verse: “But as for man, when his Lord tries him by honouring him and granting him blessings, he says: ‘My Lord has honoured me!’ And when He tries him by restricting his provision, he says: ‘My Lord has humiliated me (ahānani)!'” (89:15–16)
Bagatelle
According to certain etymologists, this term — denoting something trivial or of little importance — derives from the Arabic بَاطِل bāṭil, in its plural form بَوَاطِل bawāṭil, meaning “something futile, vain, or false”.
In the Quran, this word appears 26 times in its singular form: “And do not mix truth with falsehood (bāṭil) or conceal the truth while you know it.” (2:42)
Bourg / Borough (town)
The Old French word bourg (town, market town) — ancestor of “borough” in English — may derive from the Arabic بُرْج burj (tower, fortified settlement). The root appears in the Quran: “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you are in fortified towers (burūj).” (4:78)
Cafard (Cockroach / Hypocrite)
The French cafard (cockroach; also informally, a hypocrite) derives from the Arabic كَافِر kāfir, meaning one who denies or covers over the truth — often translated as “unbeliever” or “ingrate”. The term passed into French via the Spanish cófrade. In the Quran, kāfir and its derivatives appear very frequently: “We have certainly honoured the children of Adam… and preferred them greatly over many of those We have created — and We shall ask the ingrate (kāfir) about it.”
Chaudron (Cauldron)
The English “cauldron” (and French chaudron) is thought by some to derive from the Arabic قِدْر qidr, via Spanish calderón or Italian calderone. This word appears once in the Quran in its plural form: “They made for him whatever he wished: sanctuaries, statues, basins like reservoirs, and great cauldrons (qudūr) fixed in place.” (34:13)
Chemise / Shirt
The Arabic قَمِيص qamīṣ (shirt, tunic) is the likely ancestor of the French chemise and — through it — of the English “chemise”. The word appears in the Quran notably in the story of Joseph: “And they came to their father in the evening, weeping. They said: ‘O our father, we went off racing one another and left Joseph with our belongings, and the wolf devoured him… And they brought his shirt (qamīṣ) stained with false blood.'” (12:16–18)
Hazard
The English word “hazard” (and French hasard) derives from the Arabic الزَّهَر al-zahr (dice), via Spanish azar. The root Z-H-R in the Quran appears as zahra, meaning the brilliance or adornment of worldly life: “And do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to [some] categories of them, [its being but] the splendour (zahra) of worldly life.” (20:131)
Magazine / Magasin
The English “magazine” (and French magasin) derives directly from the Arabic مَخَازِن makhāzin (storehouse, depot), the plural of مَخزَن makhzan, itself derived from the root خ-ز-ن meaning “to store”. The root appears in the Quran in the plural form khazā’in (treasuries, storehouses): “[Joseph] said: ‘Put me in charge of the storehouses (khazā’in) of the land. I am indeed a knowing guardian.'” (12:55)
Mesquin / Mean (petty)
The word مِسكِين miskīn (poor person, pauper) passed into French as mesquin (petty, mean-spirited) via Spanish. In the Quran, it appears 11 times in the singular and 12 times in the plural: “And they feed, despite their own love for it, the poor (miskīn), the orphan, and the captive.” (76:8)
Risk
The word “risk” (French risque) is thought by some etymologists to derive from the Arabic رِزْق rizq, meaning sustenance, provision — what God allots to each creature. The root R-Z-Q is one of the most frequent in the Quran, appearing in dozens of verses: “And in the heaven is your provision (rizq) and whatever you are promised.” (51:22)
Syrup
The English “syrup” (French sirop) derives from the Arabic شَرَاب sharāb, meaning a drink, a beverage, a liquid to be consumed. The root Sh-R-B (to drink) is common in the Quran: “And rivers of honey purified for them.” (47:15) — and notably: “They will be given to drink therein a cup whose mixture is of Zanjabīl.”
Words with Uncertain but Intriguing Etymologies
The following words show striking resemblances to Arabic roots but lack confirmed etymological sources. They are listed here as a useful mnemonic device for learning Arabic vocabulary:
- Fibre — resembles فِبْرَة / فتر (weakness, lassitude)
- Masquerade — resembles مَسخَرَة (mockery, buffoonery)
- Arid — resembles عَرِيض (wide, expansive)
- Turba / Trouble — resembles تُرَاب (earth, dust)
- Voice — resembles وَقَع (to fall, to resound)
- Kilo — resembles كَيل (a measure of grain)
- Ark / Arche — resembles أَرَكَ (a tree; or related to the Ark)
- Abdomen — resembles بَطن (belly)
- Charter — resembles خَطّ (writing, script)
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