English Words from Arabic origins

(words that have come into English directly or indirectly, from or through, Arabic)

jasmine
jennet
jerboa
jihad
jinn
kismet
1. Fate, fortune, or destiny.
2. In Islam, the will of Allah.
3. The original Arabic term is qismah, qismat, meaning "portion, fate, lot"; as in, "That's his lot in life". The "t" ending was added by the Persians (qismat) and it became a part of English via Turkish (via Persian, via Arabic).
kohl
Koran
lemon
lilac
lime
1. A juicy, greenish-yellow citrus fruit which is smaller and sourer than a lemon. Its juice is used for flavoring and as a source of vitamin C.
2. The small tropicl tree it grows on.
3. Arabic limah, Spanish lima through French to English.
lute
1. A musical instrument much used in the 1500's and 1600's, having a pearshaped body and usually six pairs of strings and is played by plucking the strings with the fingers.
2. From Arabic al'ud, "the lute", through Old Provençal laut, Old French lut, then into English.
magazine
1. The original Arabic word was makhAzin (plural of makhzan, meaning "storehouse, warehouse, depot, store".

The English word still may be used in this sense to describe a warehouse; especially, one in which explosives and munitions are stored; however, in modern English the word is now most commonly used to describe weekly, monthly, or quarterly periodicals that may contain (or store) a multitude of stories, articles, or other writings from the earlier use of the word for a "printed list of military stores and information", or in a figurative sense, from the publication being a "storehouse" of information.

It now normally refers to a publication issued at regular intervals, usually weekly or monthly, containing articles, stories, photographs, advertisements, and other features, with a page size that is usually smaller than that of a newspaper but larger than that of a book

2. A detachable container for cartridges or bullets that can be quickly inserted or removed from a weapon.
3. A structure on land or a part of a ship where weapons, ammunition, explosives, and other military equipment or supplies are stored.
4. A container designed to hold a number of photographic slides and feed them automatically through a projector.
5. A space or compartment in a camera from which film is loaded without exposing it to light.
6. A device or container attached to a machine that holds or supplies necessary material.
7. A television or radio program made up of an assortment of short factual items, often of interest to a particular group of people.
8. Etymology: "a place for storing goods, especially military ammunition," from Middle French magasin, "warehouse, depot, store"; from Italian magazzino, which came from Arabic (as stated in the word-entry area above) from the verb, khazana, "to store up".
marcasite
mask
1. A cover or disguise, as for the features; a protective appliance for the face or head; such as a gas mask.
2. A cast of the face taken just after death.
3. A masquerade; also spelled masque.
4. An artistic covering for the face; used by Greek and Roman actors in comedy and tragedy.
5. To put on a mask; to assume a disguise.
6. Etymology: from French masque, Italian maschera, mascara and earlier from Arabic maskharah, a "buffoon" (someone who amuses others by ridiculous behavior).