List of English words of Semitic origin explained

This is a list of English words of Semitic origin other than those solely of Arabic origin or Hebrew origin.

Most of these words are found in ancient Greek writings, with the Greek word believed today to have come from a Semitic source.

Common words

abba : from Aramaic ܐܒܐ abba 'father' (AHD)
  • abbé : from Aramaic ܐܒܐ abba 'father' (AHD, MW)
  • abbot : from Aramaic ܐܒܐ abba 'father' (AHD, MW)
  • abracadabra : disputed (OED) + probably Balkan (WNW) + probably from Aramaic אבדא כדברא abhadda kedhabhra 'disappear as this word' (NI)
  • adonis : from Phoenician adon 'lord' (AHD)
  • aloe : from ancient Greek ἀλόη aloe (AHD) 'dried juice' (MW). Likely from a Semitic source. See Hebrew אהלים ahalim 'trees of lign' (SC), perhaps in turn from Dravidian[1]
  • alphabet : The ancient Greek word represents the first two letters of the Greek alphabet (alpha and beta). The Greeks got their alphabet from the Phoenician/Canaanite one. Compare Canaanite aleph 'ox' (AHD) + from Phoenician/Canaanite bet 'house' (AHD)
  • apron : from Latin mappa 'cloth' (MW), probably from Hebrew Hebrew: menafa 'fluttering banner' (WNW) + perhaps from Carthaginian (AHD)
  • arbiter : from Latin arbitr-, arbiter 'judge' (MW), from Phoenician (AHD)
  • babel : from (AHD, MW) Hebrew בבל balal 'confound' (SC) + in part from (AHD) Akkadian bab-ilu 'gate of God' (MW)
  • balm : from Greek βάλσαμον balsamon (AHD), probably of Semitic origin, similar to Hebrew basham 'aromatic substance' (MW)
  • balsam : from Greek βάλσαμον balsamon (AHD), probably of Semitic origin, similar to Hebrew basham 'aromatic substance' (MW)
  • bdellium : from Greek βδέλλιον bdellion (MW), from (AHD) Hebrew בְּדֹלַח bedolach (WNW) 'pieces' (SC) + from Assyrian budulḥu (WNW)
  • byssus : from Greek bussos (AHD), perhaps from בוץ buts (WNW) 'linen cloth', from Semitic (MW) *b-w-tz 'to be white' (WNW)
  • birr : from Arabic بير birr '100 cents' (MW), probably from Amharic (AHD)
  • camel : from Greek κάμηλος kamelos (AHD). From Semitic. See Hebrew גמל gamal 'desert animal', Arabic jamal 'camel'.
  • camisado : secondarily; by way of Spanish camisa, "shirt". But of dubious Semitic origin. See "chemise" below.
  • camisole : from a southern-Romance diminutive of late Latin camisia. But questionably Semitic. See "chemise" below.
  • cane, cannella, canister, cannelloni, cannon, cannula, canon, canyon : from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), of Semitic origin. See Hebrew קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + Assyrian qanu (WNW), similar to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
  • chemise: from (Vulgar) Latin camisia (MW), itself from proto-Celtic.[2] Ugaritic has qms 'garment' (AHD). That word is similar, and shows the same k>q pattern that the later Semitic loanwords show. But a Semitic origin for camisia is a minority position in scholarship.[3]

  • cinnamon : from Greek κιννάμωμον Greek, Modern (1453-);: kinnamomon (MW), of Semitic origin, similar to Hebrew קִנָּמוֹן Hebrew: qinnamon 'aromatic inner bark' (AHD)
  • cumin : from Greek (AHD) κύμινον kyminon (MW), perhaps from Hebrew כמון kammon 'umbel' (WNW), similar to Akkadian Akkadian: kamunu 'carrot family plant' (MW)
  • deltoid : from Greek delta (AHD), perhaps from Hebrew דלת daleth 'door' (WNW), similar to Phoenician dalt 'door' (AHD)
  • earnest (money) : from (MW, AHD) Hebrew ערב arav 'pledge' (WNW) + from Canaanite irrabon 'pledge', 'surety' (AHD)
  • fig : from Latin ficus, possibly from Phoenician[4] or Paleo-Hebrew "pag", as found in 2:13 HE
  • hyssop : from Greek (AHD) ὕσσωπος Greek, Modern (1453-);: hyssopos (MW), of Semitic origin. Compare Hebrew אזוב ezobh 'mint herb' (WNW)
  • iotacism : from Greek Ιώτα iota, a letter from (MW) Phoenician (AHD). Compare Hebrew יד yodh 'hand' (WNW).
  • jot : from Matthew 5:18 transliterating Greek Ιώτα iota. The subtext was the Hebrew letter yodh as written in the Aramaic alphabet in that verse's setting.
  • maudlin, madeleine, magdalen : from (NI) Greek Μαγδαλα 'Magdala' (WNW) (='tower'), perhaps from Hebrew גדל gadal 'large' (SC) and (MW) Aramaic Magdela 'Magdala' (OED) (='tower') (SC)
  • map : from Latin mappa 'cloth' (MW). Said by Quintilian (1st century AD in Latin) to be a word of Punic origin. Compare Talmudic Hebrew Hebrew: menafa 'fluttering banner' (Etymonline.com)(AHD)(WNW).
  • mat : from Greek ματτα matta, of Semitic origin (MW), perhaps from Phoenician matta, similar to Hebrew מטה mitta 'bed', 'couch' (AHD)
  • myrrh : English is from classical Latin myrrha which is from ancient Greek murra which is from a Semitic source; see Aramaic murra, Akkadian murru, Hebrew mōr, Arabic mur, all meaning myrrh.
  • messiah : from Hebrew (AHD) משיח mashiah 'anointed' (MW) + in part from Aramaic (AHD) meshiha 'anointed' (MW)
  • napkin : from Latin mappa 'cloth' (MW), probably from Hebrew Hebrew: menafa 'fluttering banner' (WNW) + perhaps from Carthaginian (AHD)
  • pharisee : from Aramaic (AHD) perisha 'separated', from (MW) פרש Hebrew parash 'separate' (SC), 'cleave' (WNW)
  • sac, sack : from ancient Greek σάκκος sakkos. Of Semitic origin (OED); see Hebrew שק saq 'bag', 'sackcloth', from Phoenician, Aramaic/Syriac ܣܩܐ saqqa, similar to Akkadian saqqu (AHD)
  • sapphire : from Latin sapphirus and Greek sappheiros, from a Semitic source. See Hebrew ספיר sappir 'precious stone' (AHD). The word is perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit शनिप्रिय sanipriya 'sacred to Sani'[5]
  • schwa : from Hebrew שוא schewa 'unstressed mid-central vowel' (MW), probably from Syriac ܫܘܝܐ shewayya 'equal' (AHD)
  • shekel : from Hebrew (MW) שקל saqal 'weight', from Canaanite tql (AHD)
  • souk : from Arabic سوق suq (AHD) 'market' (MW), from Aramaic ܫܘܩܐ/שוקא šuqa 'street', 'market', from Akkadian saqu 'narrow'
  • sycamore : Ancient Greek συκόμορος Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: sykomoros 'fig tree', looks to be ancient Greek syko- 'fig' and ancient Greek moros 'mulberry tree'. But the Greek is perhaps from a Semitic source. See Hebrew שִׁקמָה shikma 'mulberry' (WNW).

    • Letter names

    alpha : from Greek Άλφα alpha, perhaps from Phoenician alef 'ox', 'leader' (WNW), from Canaanite alp 'ox' (AHD)
  • beta : from Greek Βήτα beta, from Phoenician (WNW) + from Canaanite bet 'house' (AHD)
  • gamma : from Greek Γάμμα gamma, perhaps from Phoenician גימ"ל gimel '
  • delta : from Greek Δέλτα delta (AHD), perhaps from Hebrew דל"ת daleth 'door' (WNW) + of Semitic origin, similar to Phoenician dalt 'door' (AHD)
  • zeta : from Greek ζήτα zeta, from Phoenician, similar to Aramaic ܙܝܢܐ zayin, Hebrew זי"ן zayin (AHD) 'weapon'
  • eta : from Greek Ήτα eta, perhaps from Hebrew chet חי"ת (WNW) 'terror' (SC) + from (MW) Phoenician (AHD)
  • theta : from Greek Θήτα theta, from (MW) Phoenician, similar to Hebrew טי"ת tet (AHD) 'snake'
  • iota : from Greek Ιώτα iota, perhaps from Hebrew יו"ד yodh 'hand' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician (AHD)
  • kappa : from Greek Κάππα kappa, perhaps from Hebrew כ"ף kaph (WNW) 'palm of the hand' (MW) + from (MW) Phoenician (AHD)
  • lambda : from Greek Λάμβδα lambda, perhaps from Hebrew למ"ד lamedh 'whip', 'club' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician (AHD)
  • mu : from Greek Μυ mu, from Phoenician, similar to Hebrew מ"ם mem 'water' (AHD)
  • nu : from Greek Νυ nu, perhaps from Hebrew נו"ן nun 'fish' (WNW) + of Semitic origin (AHD)
  • pi : from Greek Πι pi, perhaps from Hebrew פ"א pe 'mouth' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician (AHD)
  • rho : from Greek Ρω rho, perhaps from Hebrew רי"ש rosh 'head' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician (AHD)
  • sigma : from Greek Σίγμα sigma, from Phoenician, similar to Hebrew סמ"ך samek (AHD) 'prop'
  • tau : from Greek Ταυ tau, perhaps from Hebrew ת"ו taw (WNW) 'mark', 'cross' (MW) + from (MW) Phoenician (AHD)
  • izzard : probably from French et zede 'and Z', in part from Greek ζήτα zeta (MW), from Phoenician, similar to Aramaic ܙܝܢܐ zayin, Hebrew זי"ן zayin (AHD) 'weapon'
  • zed : from Greek ζήτα zeta (MW), from Phoenician, similar to Aramaic ܙܝܢܐ zayin, Hebrew זי"ן zayin (AHD) 'weapon'

    • See also

    References

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: aloe. Online Etymology Dictionary.
    2. Book: Kim Schulte. Loanwords in the World's Languages: A Comparative Handbook. Loanwords in Romanian. Martin Haspelmath. Uri Tadmor . Walter de Gruyter . 2009. 230–59., 234. Schulte draws a further match with proto-Germanic *hamithjan. Whichever borrowed from whomever, the proto-Germans got it prior to Grimm's Law *k->h, and the Latins got it from the later Celts.
    3. From Late-Antique Greek καμίσιον kamision, the word migrated to pre-classical Arabic (Q. 12:18-28, 93; also poetry) قميص qamiṣ 'shirt' and to Ethiopic qamas and to Syriac (not earlier Aramaic) qûmisié. Book: Arthur Jeffery . The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur'an . 243 . Baroda. Oriental Institute. Jeffery's reference to Syriac is from Fraenkel (1886), 45; to "Ethiopic" from Josippon. Leslau [{{cite book|author=Wolf Leslau |title=Arabic Loanwords in Ethiopian Semitic |year=1990}}, 74] assumes also from Fraenkel that Arabic-speakers delivered these Greek and Syrian shirts to the Ethiopians. Fraenkel would imply, further, that these traders provided the Syrian spelling for these shirts. καμίσιον itself might derive from the Celtic or the Vulgar Latin.
    4. Web site: fig (n. 1). Online Etymology Dictionary. 13 August 2016.
    5. Web site: sapphire. Online Etymology Dictionary.

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