List of English words of Semitic origin

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 𐤀𐤃𐤋 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 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 '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 𒇷𒄿 𒀊𒁀 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 𒁍𒁺𒆷𒄷 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., 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. 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.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. Jeffery's reference to Syriac is from Fraenkel (1886), 45; to "Ethiopic" from Josippon. Leslau [, 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.</p> cinnamon from Greek κιννάμωμον (MW), of Semitic origin, similar to Hebrew קִנָּמוֹן 'aromatic inner bark' (AHD) cumin from Greek (AHD) κύμινον kyminon (MW), perhaps from Hebrew כמון kammon 'umbel' (WNW), similar to Akkadian '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 or Paleo-Hebrew 𐤂𐤐 "pag", as found in goat from proto-Germanic *gaits, cognate with Latin haedus 'kid', likely of Semitic origin. Compare Hebrew גדי ”gdi” 'kid'. hyssop from Greek (AHD) ὕσσωπος (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 'fluttering banner' (Etymonline.com)(AHD)(WNW). mat from Greek ματτα matta, of Semitic origin (MW), perhaps from Phoenician 𐤌𐤀𐤕𐤕𐤀 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 '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' 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 𒊓𒆪 saqu 'narrow' sycamore Ancient Greek συκόμορος '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 𐤀𐤋𐤐 alp 'ox' (AHD) beta from Greek Βήτα beta, from Phoenician (WNW) + from Canaanite 𐤁𐤉𐤕 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 𐤕𐤋𐤀𐤃 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 𐤕𐤇 (AHD) theta from Greek Θήτα theta, from (MW) Phoenician 𐤕𐤄𐤈, similar to Hebrew טי"ת tet (AHD) 'snake' iota from Greek Ιώτα iota, perhaps from Hebrew יו"ד yodh 'hand' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤕𐤏𐤉 (AHD) kappa from Greek Κάππα kappa, perhaps from Hebrew כ"ף kaph (WNW) 'palm of the hand' (MW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤅𐤀𐤊 (AHD) lambda from Greek Λάμβδα lambda, perhaps from Hebrew למ"ד lamedh 'whip', 'club' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤃𐤌𐤀𐤋 (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 𐤄𐤐 (AHD) rho from Greek Ρω rho, perhaps from Hebrew רי"ש rosh 'head' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤔𐤏𐤓 (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 𐤅𐤀𐤕 (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 List of English words of Arabic origin List of English words of Hebrew origin List of loanwords in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

References

AHD: American Heritage DictionaryFD: The Free Dictionary – ONLINE MW: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary – ONLINE OED: Oxford English Dictionary – ONLINE RHD: Random House Dictionary – ONLINE NI: Webster's New International DictionarySC: Strong's ConcordanceWNW: Webster's New World Dictionary'': 3rd edition