Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Arabic - English Loan Words: D-G

Today's posting follows on from the previous postings on Arabic - English and continues the list of words whose roots are said to have been borrowed, or loaned from the Arabic.

Words in the list below start with the letters 'D' to 'G' and are listed in alphabetical order. The English word is followed by the root word in Arabic [xxx] and then the Arabic meaning. On the line below is the meaning in English.

If I needed help with the English definition I used: 'The Oxford English Reference Dictionary' ISBN: 0-19-860046-1


D

Damask
from Damascus
A figured woven fabric (esp. silk or linen) with a pattern visible on both sides

Dhow
A lateen rigged ship used on the Arabian Sea

Dinar
The monetary unit of Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman

Dirham
The monetary unit of the UAE

Dragoman
tarjama [tarr-ja-ma]
interpret An interpreter or guide, esp. in countries speaking Arabic, Turkish or Persian

Drub
daraba [dar-rra-ba]  beat, thump
Beat in a fight

Dura mater
al umm al jafiya [al umm al jaa-fee-ya]
hard mother, indicating the relationship of things
The tough outermost membrane enveloping the brain and spinal cords


E
Elixir
al iksir [al ik-see-rr] alchemy
A preparation supposedly able to change metals into gold

Emir
amir [aa-meer]
title of various Muslim rulers, interchangeable but different from a king [ma-lick]

Emirates
The rank, domain or reign of an emir


F
Falafel
Small round comet-like food, made from crushed chick peas and deep fried ~the national dish of Egypt~

Fakir
mean/tight
a poor man; A Muslim or Hindu ascetic or holy man, originally a mendicant dervish

Fatwa
instruct by a legal decision
An authoritative (usually written) ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a mufti or Islamic leader

Fedayeen
fidaiyin [fee-day-yeen] adventurer
Arab guerrillas operating esp. against Israel

Fellah
falaha [faa-la-ha] till the soil
An Egyptian peasant

Felucca
fulk [fulk] ship
Small Mediterranean coasting vessel with oars, or lateen sailsm or both

Fez
A flat topped conical red cap with a tassel, named after the city in northern Morocco and worn by men in North African countries

Fomalhaut
fum ul haut [fom al haut] mouth of the fish
The brightest star in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus, which is only briefly visible from the northern hemispheres


G
Garble
gharbala [gHaa-ba-la] sift
Unintentionaly distort or confuse (facts, messages, etc)

Gauze
Thin transparent fabric of silk, cotton, etc. From Gaza in Palestine

Gazelle
ghazal; a small graceful African or Asian antelope

Genie
jinni [jinn] bad spirits
Jinn are the bad spirits frequently mentioned in the Koran The word is also used in the story of the gene in the bottle in the book, “1001 Arabian nights”

Ghoul
gul; desert demon
Evil spirit or phantom, a spirit in Arabic folklore preying on travellers

Gibraltar
gebel al tarik [jh-bul al Tarr-rik] hill of Tarik (an 8th century Saracen commander)

Giraffe
zarafa [za-ra-fa]
extremely tall African mamal


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