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I have read that "Hussein" means "handsome man" in Arabic, so what's the fuss all about? Check out some other Arabic words that made it into the English language: admiral - ami:r-al-bahr 'ruler of the seas' (and other similar expressions) - amara command adobe - al-toba 'the brick' albacore - al-bukr 'the young camel' alchemy - al-ki:mi:a: - from Greek alcohol - al-koh''l 'the kohl' alcove - al-qobbah 'vault' - qubba vault alembic - al-ambi:q 'the still' - from Greek alfalfa - alfas,fas,ah 'fodder' algebra - al-jebr 'reintegration' - jabara reunite Algol - al-ghu:l 'the ghoul' algorithm - al-Khowarazmi 'the (man) of Khiva' alkali - al-qaliy 'calx' - qalay fry, roast Allah - `allah, from contraction of al-ilah 'the god' Almagest - al-majisti - from Greek almanac - (Andalucian Arabic) al-mana:kh, of uncertain origin amber - `anbar 'ambergris' antimony - al-íthmid 'antimony trisulphide' - perhaps from Greek apricot - al-burquq - from Greek Arab - `arab arsenal - dar as,s,ina`ah 'house of making', i.e. 'factory' - s,ana`a make artichoke - al-kharshu:f assagai - az-zaghayah - from Berber assassin - h'ashsha:shi:n 'hashish eaters', from the Isma`ili sectarians attar - `itr 'aroma' ayatollah - 'ayatu-llah 'miraculous sign of God' azimuth - as-sumut 'the paths'; see also zenith azure - al-lazward 'lapis lazuli' - from Persian barbican - (possibly) bâb-al-baqara 'gate with holes' berdache - (possibly) bardaj 'slave' Betelgeuse - bi:t al-jauza:' 'shoulder of the Giant' bezoar - bazahr - from Persian bint - bint 'daughter bled - balad 'vast open country' borax - bu:raq - from Persian burka - burqa` burnouse - burnus
caliber - qali:b 'mold, last' - calico - Qaliqu:t 'Calicut', city in India caliph - khali:fah 'successor' - khalafa 'succeed' camise - qami:s 'shirt' - from Latin camphor - ka:fu:r - from Malay candy - short for 'sugar candy', from sugar + qandi 'candied', from qand 'cane sugar' - from a Dravidian language carat - qi:ra:t 'small weight' - from Greek caraway - alkarawya: - probably from Greek carafe - gharra:f - gharafa 'dip' carmine - qirmazi: 'crimson' carob - kharrubah cassock - kaza:ghand 'padded jacket' - from Persian check - sha:h 'king' - from Persian checkmate - sha:h ma:t 'the king is dead' chemistry - see alchemy chess - from Old French eschecs, plural of check cipher - s,ifr 'empty' civet - zaba:d coffee - qahwah Copt - quft - from Greek cork - qu:rq cotton - qutn couscous - kuskus - kaskasa pound, bruise crimson - qirmazi:, related to the qirmiz, the insect that provided the dye
Deneb - danab al-jaja:ja 'tail of the hen' dhow - da:w dinar - di:na:r - from Greek dirham - dirham - from Greek dragoman - tarjuma:n - tarjama interpret drub - daraba 'beat' dura mater - Latin calque on umm al-ghali:dah 'hard mother'
efreet - 'ifri:t 'monster' El Cid - al-Sayyid 'the lord' elixir - al-iksi:r 'philosopher's stone' - from Greek emir - ami:r - amara command
fakir - faqi:r 'poor man' - faqura be poor fardel - fardah 'load' Farsi - Fa:rs 'Pars', a province of Iran - from Persian fatwa - fetwa - fata: instruct by a legal decision fedayeen - fida:'iyi:n 'commandos' - fida:` redemption felafel - fala:fil fellah - fella:h' 'husbandman' - falah'a till felucca - fulk 'ship' - falaka be round Fomalhaut - fum u'l-haut 'mouth of the fish'
garble - gharbala 'sift' - perhaps from Latin gazelle - ghaza:l genie - jinni: 'spirit' gerbil - yarbu:` ghoul - ghu:l 'demon' - gha:la take suddenly giraffe - zara:fa
hadith - h'adi:t 'tradition' haj - h'ajj 'pilgrimage' - h'ajja go on a pilgrimage halal - h'ala:l 'lawful' halvah - h'alwa: harem - h'aram 'prohibited, set apart' - h'arama prohibit hashish - h'ashi:sh 'dried herbs, hemp' hazard - yásara 'play at dice' hegira - hijrah 'departure' - hajara separate, go henna - h'enna:` Hezbollah - H'izbulla:h 'party of God' hookah - h'uqqah 'water bottle (through which smoke is drawn)' houri - h'u:r al-`ayu:n 'with eyes like gazelles' - h'awura have eyes like gazelles
imam - ima:m 'leader' - amma precede Islam - isla:m 'submission' - aslama submit oneself
jar - jarrah 'large earthen vase' jasmine - ya:smi:n - from Persian jinn - jinn 'spirits', plural of genie julep - jula:b 'rose water' - from Persian
Kaaba - ka`bah 'square house' kabob - kaba:b - from Persian kaffir - ka:fir 'infidel' - kafara conceal, deny keffiyeh - kaffi:yah khamsin - khamsi:n 'fifty (days)' kismet - qisma 'portion, lot' - qasama divide kohl - koh''l 'kohl' - kah'ala stain, paint Koran - qura:n 'recitation' - qara`a read
lilac - li:la:k - from Persian lemon - laymu:n - from Persian lime - li:mah 'citrus fruit' loofah - lu:fah a plant whose pods were used as sponges lute - al-`u:d
macramé - miqramah 'striped cloth' magazine - makha:zin 'storehouses' - khazana store Mahdi - mahdi:y 'one who is guided aright' - hada: lead majlis - majlis 'council' mancala - mank.ala - nak.ala move marzipan - mawthaba:n 'coin featuring a seated figure' mask - perhaps maskhara 'buffoon' - sakhira ridicule mattress - matrah 'place where something is thrown, mat, cushion' - tarah'a throw minaret - mana:rah - na:r fire mohair - mukhayyar 'choice (goats'-hair cloth)' - khayyara select monsoon - mausim 'season' - wasama mark mosque - masgid - sagada worship Mozarabic - musta`rib 'would-be Arab' muezzin - mu'adhdhin 'criers' - adhana proclaim mufti - mufti: 'one who gives a fatwa' mujahedeen - muja:hidi:n 'figher in a jihad' mullah - mawla: 'master' mummy - mu:miya: 'embalmed body' - mu:m '(embalming) wax' Muslim - muslim 'submitter' - aslama submit oneself muslin - Maus,il 'Mosul'
nadir - nadi:r as-samt 'opposite the zenith' natron - natru:n - from Greek nizam - nidam 'government'
orange - na:ranj - from Sanskrit ottoman - `uthma:n, a proper name
pia mater - Latin calque on umm raqi:qah 'tender mother' popinjay - babagha: Primum Mobile - Latin calque on al-muh' arrik al-awwal 'the first mover'
racket - râh'et 'palm of the hand' Ramadan - Ramada:n meaning perhaps 'the hot month' - ramata be heated realgar - rehj al-gha:r 'powder of the cave' ream - rizmah 'bundle' rebec - reba:b Rigel - rijl 'foot (of Orion)' roc - rukh rook - rukh - from Persian Rubaiyyat - ruba:`i:yah 'quatrain'
safari - safari:y 'journey' - safara travel saffron - za`fara:n Sahara - çah'ra: 'desert' sahib - ça:h'ib 'friend' salaam - as-sala:m `alaikum 'peace be on you' saluki - salu:k.i: 'from Saluk' Saracen - sharqi:yi:n 'easterners' - sha:raqa rise sash - sha:sh 'muslin' satin - probably zaytu:ni: 'of Zaytu:n' (a city in China) scarlet - siqilla:t '(cloth) adorned with images' - from Latin sequin - sikkah 'die for coinmaking' Sharia - shari:`a sheikh - shaikh 'old man' - sha:kha grow old sherbet - sharbah - shariba drink Shiite - shiya`i:y, from shiya:` 'following, sect' - sha`a follow shrub - shurb 'a drink' - shariba drink sine - Latin sinus, mistranslation of jayb 'chord of an arc, sine', through confusion with jayb 'fold of a garment' sirocco - sharq 'east (wind)' - sha:raqa rise sofa - s,uffah 'raised dais with cushions' souk - su:k. 'marketplace' spinach - isfa:na:kh Sufi - çu:fi: 'man of wool' sugar - sukkar - from Sanskrit sultan - sulta:n 'sovereign' sumac - summa:q Sunni - sunni: 'lawful', from sunna:h 'rule, course' sura - su:rah syrup - shara:b 'beverage' - shariba drink
tabbouleh - tabbu:la tabby - `atta:biy, a neighborhood in Baghdad where taffeta was made tahini - - tah'ana crush Taliban - talib 'student' - talaba study talisman - tilsam - from Greek tamarind - tamr-hindi: 'date of India' tambourine - a small tambour, from tanbu:r - from Persian tandoori - tannu:r 'oven' tarboosh - tarbu:sh tare - tarh'ah 'rejected' - tarah'a reject tariff - ta`ri:f 'notification' - `arafa notify tarragon - tarkhu:n - possibly from Greek tell - tall 'hillock'
ujamaa - jama:` 'community' ulema - `ulima: 'the learned ones' - `alama know
Vega - al-nasr al-wa:qi` 'the falling vulture' vizier - wazi:r 'porter, public servant' - wazara carry
wadi - wa:di: Waqf - waqf 'religious foundation' wisdom tooth - from a Latin calque on adra:su 'l h'ikmi - calqued from Greek
zenith - samt 'path' zero - s,ifr 'empty'http://www.zompist.com/arabic.html">zompist
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