Like many languages, German has evolved to include words that originate from other languages; many of these surprisingly derive from Arabic. Arabic words feature commonly in many Western languages and were most often introduced centuries ago.
However you prefer to drink it, ‘Kaffee’ derives from the Arabic ‘qahwa’. Coffee drinking originated in 15th century Yemen, and the word was introduced to most Western languages around 200 years later. Aprikose’ (apricot) derives from the Arabic ‘al-barqūq’.
‘Babbaghā” is where ‘parrot’ originates from, which in German is ‘Papagei’ – not very far removed. The main difference is that the European ‘p’ replaced the Medieval ‘b’ phonic’.
Almost identical in spelling and pronunciation, ‘Al-kohl’ is the original Arabic word for ‘Alkohol’, or alcohol in English. Interestingly, the term ‘fine powder’ progressed through the centuries and became specifically a distilled spirit in the 18th century.
Both meanings of ‘Magazin’ (magazine) – the ammunition holder for a gun and the published ‘book’ – come from an Arabic word. ‘Makhāzin’ first meant ‘store’ (where the ammo receptacle got its name), but it didn’t have an alternative meaning until the English language introduced it in the 1600s.
There are so many derivatives of ‘Zucker’ that it is hard to pinpoint the origin. However, its earliest use was from Arabic, as ‘sukkar’, as medieval Arabs produced sugar on a vast scale.
The German language has many fascinating aspects to it, which you will learn whether you choose to find yourself a German tutor in London or self-teach. Why not get in touch with us to find out more?
there is another word which is tooth mean in German Zahn which is originally derived from arabic word
سن ( spelled as Sinn)
Hello Maen, I would have thought ‘Zahn’ originates from the old high german word ‘zan(d) – 8th century.
Stefan
The word “Eile” which is hurry sounds very similar to the word عجلة “Ajala” in Arabic