List of French words of Arabic origin

Words of Arabic origin have entered the French language and many European languages. One of the primary routes that they have entered other languages is via the Spanish language, heavily influenced by the Arabic of al-Andalus.

A

• abricot (apricot): from Spanish albaricoque, derived from the Arabic أَلْبَرْقُوق (al barqūq) which is itself derived from the Latin præcoquum, meaning the fruit
• adobe: from the Spanish adobe, derived from the Arabic al-ṭūb (الطوب) meaning a brick of dried earth
• albacore (zoo) from the Spanish albacora
• alcade Spanish word alcalde : magistrate; Arab governor al-qāḍi (القاض) : judge; cadi.
• alchimie (alchemy): from the Arabic al kîmiâ' (الكيمياء), possibly from either Greek or Coptic according to current hypotheses.
• alcool (alcohol) الكحول
• alcôve (alcove): from Spanish alcoba.
• alembic (or alambic) (still): from al-inbīq (الإنبيق) meaning a still for the distillation of alcohol. The invention of the still is traced to Ptolemaic Egypt. The original Greek word ἄμβιξ (ambix), meaning the top of a still had the definite article al- added onto it by the Arabs.
• alezan (horse: chestnut, sorrel)
• algèbre (algebra): from the Arabic al-jabr الجبر meaning amending or fixation, a root (linguistics) of the word Arabic word of 'splint' jabirah جبيرة
• algorithme (algorithm): from the name of mathematician al-Khwarizmi الخوارزمي
• alidade
• almanach (almanac) from the Arabic word almanakh المناخ meaning weather
• amalgame (mixture, blend, amalgam)
• ambre (amber) عنبر
• amiral (admiral) أمير البحر
• aniline
• arcane
• arrobe (at sign): From Spanish arroba.
• arsenal دار الصناعة
• artichaut (artichoke) أرضي شوكي
• assassin حشاشين
• aubergine البادنحات - الباذنجان
• aval (downstream, downhill)
• avarie (damage on a vehicle)
• azimut السمت meaning the high point
• azur (azure)

B

• babouche (slippers) بلغة
• baldaquin (baldachin)
• barkhane (barchan)
• baobab بو حباب
• baroud (raid) بارود
• benjoin (benzoin resin)
• benzine البنزين
• bergamote (bergamot orange) برتقال
• bezef (much, many), usually used in the negative form: pas bezeff (not much, not many)
• bled (colloquial: Place, Town) بلد
• blouse (overall, white coat)
• borax بوراق
• bougie (candle) from Bejaia (بجاية, port town in Algeria), but not particularly Arabic

C

• cabas (basket for shopping) قفص
• cafard (cockroach)
• café (coffee, café): from Arabic qahwah قهوة, via Turkish
• caïd (chief of a mob; as a nickname, can be translated as "tiger") قائد
• calfeutrer (to draught-proof)
• calibre (standard for calibration, calibre, see also Caliper) قالب
• calife (caliph) خليفة
• camaïeu (camaieu)
• camelot, camelote (rubbish)
• camphre (camphor)كافور
• candie (Heraklion) قند (من سكر قندي)
• carafe (water pot)غرافة
• caravelle (caravel)
• carat (gem mass or metal purity) قيراط
• carmin (carmine)
• caroussel (carousel)
• carvi (caraway)
• chèque (check) صك
• chemise قميص
• chiffre (number, see Cipher) صفر
• chimie (chemistry) كيمياء
• chouïa (a little)
• civette (chives, civet) قط الزبّاد
• clebs (slang for dog) كلاب
• coton: from Arabic qutun قطن, via the Spanish coton (Algodon)
• couffin (Moses basket) قفة
• coupole (cupola) قبّة
• cramoisi (crimson) قرمزي
• cravache (crop)
• cumin كمّون
• cuscute (Greater Dodder)

D

• dame
• divan ديوان
• douane
• drogue
• drogoman ترجمان

E

• écarlate
• échec (jeu d'échecs)
• éden عدن
• élixir الإكسير
• émir أمير
• épinard
• erg
• estragon

F

• fakir فقير
• fanfare (brass band)
• fanfaron (boaster)
• fardeau (burden)
• fenec فنك
• felouque (felucca)
• flouze (money)فلوس
• fondouk فندق

G

• gabelle
• gala
• gaze
• gazelle: from Arabic ghazâl (غزال)
• gazette
• genette
• gerboise
• gilet
• girafe: from Arabic zarâfah (زرافة)
• goudron قطران
• goule غول
• guitare قيثارة
• guitoune

H

• hammam: from Arabic [ʜamˈmaːm] حمّام bathroom
• harem حرم
• hasard زهر النرد (Dice)
• haschisch: from Arabic [ʜaˈʃiːʃ] حشسيش grass
• henné: from Arabic: [ˈʜanna] حنّة

J

• jaquette
• jarre جرة
• jasmin ياسمين
• jupe, jupon

K

• Kif-Kif (the same)
• kermès قرمز
• kohol كحول
• khey / kho / khoya ("bro" or "dude" in French slang)

L

• laiton
• laque
• lascar
• lilas
• limon ليمون
• limonade ليموناضة
• loukoum حلقوم
• luth عود

M

• maboule (mad, crazy) مهبول
• macramé
• magasin مغازة
• marabout
• marcassite
• maroquin
• massepain
• massicot
• matelas
• matraque مطرقة
• méchoui
• mesquin مسكين
• mohair
• moire, moiré
• momie
• mosquée مسجد
• mouchtefert
• mousseline
• mousson
• mulâtre
• muscade

N

• nabab نائب
• nacre نقر
• nadir نظير
• naphte نفط
• natron النطرون
• nénufar
• noria
• nouba نوبة

O

• orange نارنج
• ouate

P

• pastèque بطيخ

R

• raïs رئيس
• ramdam رمضان
• raquette الراحة
• razzia غزوة
• récif رصيف
• risque
• riz ارز
• roque

S

• saccharine سكر
• safari سفاري
• safran زعفران
• salamalec السلام عليكم
• santal صندل
• saphir صفير
• sarbacane زربطانة
• satin from Arabic الزيتون a city in China called Citong
• savate
• séné (نبات السنا)
• sirop شراب
• smala زملة
• sofa صُفّة
• sorbet from Persian شربة (from Arabic شراب(syrup))
• soude
• souk سوق
• sucre سكر
• sultan سلطان

T

• taboulé : تبولة (tabbūla)
• tabouret : تبوﺮ (tabour)
• taffetas : ' '
• talc : طلق (ṭalq)
• talisman : طلسم (ṭilasm)
• tare : طرح (ṭarḥ)
• tarif : تعريفة (taʿrīfa)
• timbale : طبل (ṭabl)
• toubib : طبيب (ṭabīb) (doctor)
• truchement : ترجمان (tarjumān)

V

• varan
• vizir وزير

X

• x as unknown in mathematics: The letter « x » does not exist in Arabic; the word chaïi, which means « thing », designates an unknown in mathematics, and this word being reduced to ch.

Z

• zénith السمت
• zéro
• zouave زواوة

See also

• Influence of Arabic on other languages
• List of English words of Arabic origin
• List of French loanwords in Persian
• List of Portuguese words of Arabic origin
• List of Spanish words of Arabic origin

References

• Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent French-language Wikipedia article, accessed June 13, 2006.