Arabic - English Loan Words: T - Z

Today completes the mini-series of words whose roots come from Arabia and which at one stage are said to have been borrowed, or loaned from Arabic.

All words in the list below start with the letters 'T', 'U', 'W' and 'Z'. Previous posts include 'A', 'B and C' 'D-G' 'H-M', 'N-R' and 'S' and all can be found under the subject/label 'English loan words (from Arabic) '

The words have been listed in alphabetical order and are followed by the root word in Arabic [xxx] and the Arabic meaning. On the line below is the meaning in English.

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


T

Tabbouleh
An Arab vegetable salad made with cracked wheat

Tabby
al attabiya;  the quarter in Baghdad where tabby was made
A kind of watered silk, a plain weave

Tahini
tahana;  crush
The paste made from crushed sesame seeds

Talc
talk;  talcum powder

Taliban
talib;  student
Group of fundamental Muslim rebels subscribing to the Wahibi school of Islam

Tamarind
tamar-hindi;  Indian date
Tropical tree which produced fruit of which the acid pulp is used as food and in making drinks

Tambour
tabour;  a drum

Tambourine
A small tambour, from tabour

Tarboosh
tar-bus;  head cover
A cap like a fez, sometimes worn by Muslim men as part of a turban

Tare
tarha;  that which is rejected
An allowance made for the weight of the packing or wrapping around goods

Tariff
ta’rif;   notify
A table of fixed charges

Tarragon
tarkhun;
a bushy aromatic herb, with leaves used to flavour salads, stuffing, vinegar, etc

Tell (mound)
tall;  hillock
An artificial mound in the Middle East, formed by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements

Typhoon
tuphon;  whirlwind
A tropical cyclone in eastern Asian sea


U

Ujamaa
jama;  family, community
A system of self-help village cooperatives established by President Nyerere in Tanzania in the 1960’s

Ulema
ulima,  plural of alama;  learned
A body of Muslim doctors of sacred law and theology


V

Vega
al nasr al wqi;   the falling vulture
The fifth brightest star in the sky, and the brightest in the constellation Lyra, overhead in summer to observers in the northern hemisphere


W

wazir
minister
A high official in some Muslim countries

Wadi
wadi;  dry river
A rocky watercourse, dry except in the rainy season, many of which can be found in Oman


Z

Zenith
samt;   path overhead
The part of the celestial sphere directly above an observer, the highest point in one’s fortune

Zero
sifr;   zero
The figure nought

Zircon
A mineral from which the metal zirconium is extracted