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. They've also entered other languages through the Turkish language, the official language of the Ottoman Empire.

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 الباكورة
• 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. القبة
• 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) الملغم
• ambre (amber) عنبر
• amiral (admiral) أمير البحر
• aniline (النيلة (صبغة
• arcane أروقة
• 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) (عوار (تالف
• azimut السمت meaning the high point
• azur (azure) لازورد

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) بذلة
• 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
• Couches De Riz كشري
• candie (Heraklion) قند (من سكر قندي)
• carafe (water pot)غرافة
• caravelle (caravel) (كراوية (اسم سفينة
• carat (gem mass or metal purity) قيراط
• carmin (carmine) قرمزي
• caroussel (carousel) كروي
• carvi (caraway) كراوية
• chèque (check) صك
• chemise قميص
• chiffre (number, see Cipher) صفر
• chimie (chemistry) كيمياء
• chouïa (a little) شوية
• 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 ترياق drug
• drogoman ترجمان

E

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

F

• fakir فقير
• fanfare ثرثار (brass band)
• fanfaron (boaster)
• fardeau (burden)
• fenec فنك
• felouque (felucca) فلك ـ الفلك التي تجري في البحر
• flouze (money)فلوس
• fondouk فندق

G

• gabelle
• gala
• gaze غاز
• gazelle: from Arabic ghazâl (غزال)
• gazette غازات
• genette
• gerboise قرمزي
• 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 ياقة
• jarre جرة
• jasmin ياسمين
• jupe, jupon جبة

K

• Kif-Kif كيف ـ كيف (the same)
• kermès قرمز
• kohol كحول
• khey / kho / khoya خيّ، أخو، خويا ("bro" or "dude" in French slang)

L

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

M

• maboule (mad, crazy) مهبول
• macramé مقرمة (macrame)
• magasin (مخزن (مغازة magazine
• marabout خرابط
• marcassite مرقشيثا (marcasite)
• maroquin المغرب morocco
• massepain (مرزبانية (حلوى لوز وسكر (Marzipan)
• massicot مقصلة (guillotine)
• matelas مطرح
• matraque مطرقة
• méchoui مشوي
• mesquin مسكين
• mohair (المخيّر (موهير (mohair)
• moire, moiré
• momie مومياء (Mummy)
• mosquée مسجد
• mouchtefert
• mousseline موصلي (Muslin)
• mousson موسم (monsoon)
• 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 جازف
• 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 سبّاط (Savate)
• séné (نبات السنا)
• sirop شراب
• smala زملة
• sofa صُفّة
• sorbet from Persian شربة (from Arabic شراب(syrup))
• soude الصودا (Soda)
• souk سوق
• sucre سكر
• sultan سلطان

T

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

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 صفر
• 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.