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Top 10 Spanish Words of Arabic

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The previous list that I submitted to Listverse was entitled Top 10 English Words ofArabic Origin. Some commenters noted a disparity between this title criteria and theincluded entries (i.e. jihad isnt an English word, but rather the English iteration ofand Arabic/Islamic phenomenon). This may be a valid argument; however, titles aretricky and the real purpose of such a list is entertainment and education for those

interested in etymology, history and other related subjects. In this vein I have madeanother list consisting of words and terms that have sparked my interest while studyingforeign language. Anyway, haters gonna hate (I dont know how to say that in eitherArabic or Spanish).

Islamic armies consisting of Arabs and Berbers began a conquest of the IberianPeninsula in 711 and maintained a presence until being finally expelled in 1492.Inevitably the invading culture left an impression on the language of the conquered.Below are a number of Spanish language expressions that owe their existence to thischapter in history.

*Please note transliteration of Arabic terms are based on my own estimation as thereis no agreed upon standard.

10AsesinoAssassin

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I feel amiss for not including this word in my previous list, seeing as how I did a reporton its etymological origin in college. Several commenters mentioned its absences aswell. The term returns to the crusades and come from the term hashasheenmeaning smokers of hash. According to legend, the term was given to a group of

warriors who took their marching orders from a mysterious old man in the mountains.The assassins were most likely members of the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam based inSyria. They were known for attacking prominent leaders who threatened theirmovement, killing the target but making no attempt to escape. There are two legends asto the drug connection. The first comes from the belief that these warriors indulged inthe use of this herb in order to stoke courage and numb the fear inherent with

performing a political killings. The second, more fantastical theory, is the idea that theywere pampered in all manner of pleasures, narcotic or otherwise, in their mountain lair.Supposedly this taste of paradise motivated them when the time came for undertakingan attack against a rival of their cryptic commander. Enraptured by the thought of a

permanent return to such a land of pleasure they gladly carried out their task, making noeffort to escape. Instead they carried out the deed and then awaited death in hopes ofspending eternity enveloped in the pleasures they had previously known.

9AlfilChess Piece

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I first learned this term while watching the latest Sherlock Holmes movie with theSpanish subtitles (a good tool for foreign language maintenance). This comes from theArabic word for elephant and refers to the piece known to English speaking players asthe bishop. The game of chess probably started in India and came to the Arabic worldvia Persia. Since the Persian word for elephant is the same as the Arabic, fil , itmight be more appropriate to call this a Spanish word of Persian origin, but such is thevermiform path of etymology.

8Alhambra

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Not so much a word as a place name, this fabulous historical site takes its name fromthe Arabic alhamra meaning the red one. It is the site of the surrender ofthe Muslim Kingdom of Grenada in 1492, marking the end of an Islamic presence in

Iberia and the ascendancy of colonial Spain. The fort itself was not attacked during theReconquista and therefore remains splendid example of Moorish architecture in Spain.

7HastaUntil

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Holding roughly the same semantic weight as the English word until this comes fromthe Arabic word hata, which is a preposition of approximately the samemeaning (prepositions are always tricky to define word-for-word). Perhaps more thanany other item on this list, this entry shows the deep influence that Arabic has had on

Spanish. Nouns and verbs, especially those dealing with new technological or socialphenomena, are frequently transferred between languages; however, in my limitedlinguistic experience, I cannot think of another example where a preposition from aforeign language subsumes the extant form of the same term in the original language.

6OjalaHopefully

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English speaking students of Spanish might recognize this term from the subjunctivesection of your lessons. Meaning hopefully it comes from the Arabic exhortation

wa sha allah which means should God will it. As the subjunctive tense deals,

in part, with expressing a wish for as of yet uncertain outcomes this term is always usedwith it. Ojala que recuerde este lexicn para su prximo examen!

5AcieteOil

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From the Arabic word az-zait this refers, both in Arabic and Spanish to theliquid derived from olives and not to the fossil fuel. I know that the Portuguese word is

phonologically similar and there are most likely similar words in other languages.

4AlmohadaPillow

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Readers will no doubt notices at this point that many of the entries begin with the lettera. This owes to the fact that the Arabic definite article is al and has beenmaintained in many word transfer. It is not certain whether this word replaced the

original Spanish word or if the concept of a stuffed fabric sleeping device wasintroduced to Spanish lands by Islamic invaders.

3AzcarSugar

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The sweetest entry and another food-related item. Like alfil it came to Spanish fromIndia via Persian and then Arabic. This is another word that has found its way into manylanguages.

2

RehnHostage

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The root of the original Arabic word raheen means to deposit as security. Iremember coming across this word a number of years ago and it prompted me toinvestigate the connection between the two languages. I wish that I had additional

etymological information to make this a more captivating addition to the list.

1Adobe

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Im not sure how this became the name for everyones favorite frequently petitionedsoftware update however the namesake mud brick structures have an understandablyancient origin. I excavated the following explanation from Wikipedia and found noreason to alter it:

The word can be traced from the Middle Egyptian (c. 2000 BC) word dj-b-t mud [i.e.,sun-dried] brick. As Middle Egyptian evolved into Late Egyptian, Demotic, andfinally Coptic (c. 600 BC), dj-b-t became tobe [mud] brick. This was borrowedinto Arabic as al-tub ( al the + tubbrick) [mud] brick, which was assimilatedinto Old Spanish as adobe [a dobe], still with the meaning mud brick.

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saltdragon:

hominisaevum:

Tughra (Imperial Cipher) ofSultan Sleyman the Magnificent (r. 15201566), ca.1555; Ottoman Turkey (Istanbul).

The Ottoman tughra is a calligraphic emblem of the sultans authority that was

included in all official documents, such as firmans (royal decrees), endowment papers,correspondence, and coins. Used by the first Ottoman sultan in 1324, it later developedinto a more complex form that included three vertical shafts and two concentric ovalloops on the left. It consists of the name of the reigning sultan, his fathers name, histitle, and the phrase the eternally victorious.

This unique calligraphic emblem was not easily read or copied. Therefore, a specificcourt artist was designated to draw the undecorated, standard tughra. A courtilluminator assistedhim in the exquisite decoration of the tughra on certain imperialdocuments. The illuminators delicate scroll design and naturalistic flowers enhance theharmonious lines of calligraphy, creating a colorful voluminous effect.

I believe this is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. If youre inthe area, go see it. The work itself is beautiful, and the Islamic galleries are wonderful ingeneral. Its well worth the trip.

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