Arabic influence on the Spanish language 1

Arabic influence on the Spanish language

Great Mosque of Córdoba, a Roman Catholic cathedral in Córdoba, Spain, was thesecond largest mosque in the world in the 10th century.

Arabic influence on the Spanishlanguage has been significant due tothe Islamic presence in the Iberianpeninsula between 711 and 1492 A.D.(see Al-Andalus).

Modern day Spanish language (alsocalled castellano in Spanish) firstappeared in the small ChristianKingdom of Castile in Northern Spainduring this period of Islamicdomination over most of the IberianPeninsula. As a result, the languagewas influenced by Andalusi Arabicpractically from its inception. Arabicimprint on the language increased asthe Kingdom of Castile expanded intoMuslim lands where the Castilian language had never been spoken and as arabized Christians (Mozarabs) from AlAndalus emigrated northwards during times of sectarian violence, and particularly as a result of the Almoravidconquest in the 12th century. Although the degree to which Arabic percolated the peninsula is the subject ofacademic debate, it is generally agreed that Arabic was used among the local elites and local Arabic-influencedRomance dialects, known collectively as Mozarabic were more prevalent as the vernacular language. Only thekingdom of Granada, under the Nasrid dynasty was totally arabized after many centuries of Muslim rule.

Modern Spanish is thus a mixture of Old Castilian and the Mozarabic dialects which it absorbed. This fusionexplains why Spanish has, in many cases, both Latin and Arabic derived words for the same meaning. For example,aceituna and oliva (olive), alacrán and escorpión (scorpion), jaqueca and migraña (migraine) or alcancía and hucha(piggy bank). The imprint of Mozarabic and Arabic is evidently more noticeable in the southern dialects ofPeninsular Spanish than in the northern ones.A small number of words have also been borrowed from Moroccan Arabic both due to geographic proximity, butprincipally as a result of Spain's protectorate over Spanish Morocco in the 19th and 20th centuries.Although the influence of Arabic on Spanish is fundamentally lexical, other influences are briefly examined in thisarticle.

Lexical influenceIt is estimated that the Spanish language counts over four thousand Arabic loanwords (including derivations) andwell over one thousand Arabic roots, which together make up around 8% of the Spanish vocabulary [1] . This makesArabic the largest influence on Spanish after Latin.A majority of these are nouns, with a more limited number of verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions, thus notsubstantially changing the grammar or basic structure of the language. The exact number of words of Arabic originin Spanish is not known and many words not included on this list are regionalisms: words which are used in certainparts of Spain and/or Latin America but are generally unknown elsewhere.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 2

List of words of Arabic originThis is an open list of Spanish words acquired directly from Classical and Andalusi Arabic, listed in alphabeticalorder. This list includes the Spanish meaning of the word as well as the Arabic etymology. Be aware that manywords in the list are now obsolete or seldom used. No fixed standard of Arabic transliteration is used.Rationale for inclusion

Due to the heavy influence of Arabic on Spanish, this list is relatively restrictive:• This list has been edited to include only words which are considered to appertain to the Spanish language and the

Hispanic culture and society. Arabic words which may be understood by Spanish speakers, but remain foreign tothe Hispanic civilisation such as Ayatolá, Jihad, or Chiita, are excluded from this list.

• Only words which have passed directly from Arabic are included. Arabic words which entered the Spanishlanguage through other, non-Iberian, Indo-European languages (such as Ayatolá, Beduino, Sofá, or sorbete) arenot included.

• Generally, only Spanish root words are listed, derivations not being included. For example, aceite (from az-zeit,oil) is included but not aceitería, aceitero, aceitón or aceitoso. On the other hand, aceituna (olive) is includedsince it derives not from az-zeit but from az-zeituna in Arabic, even though the root of the Arabic word is thesame. Aceituno (olive tree), on the other hand, would not be included, since it shares the same root as aceituna.An exception to this rule may be made when the derived word is much more commonly used than the root word,when the meaning of the derivative has no evident connection with the root word or when it is not clear that one isderived from the other (e.g. horro and ahorrar).

• Words derived from Mozarabic are not included (Mozarabic being fundamentally a Romance language), unlessthe Mozarabic word is itself derived from classical or Andalusi Arabic.

• Words acquired from Berber or Hebrew (or other Afro-Asiatic languages) are not included.The etymology and meaning of most of these words can be verified on the site of the Real Academia de la LenguaEspañola [2], although a small minority are only available in other sources or past editions of this dictionary.

A (Ababol to Alguaza)

Ababol, poppy

1. ababol: Poppy. In Aragon, Navarre, Albacete and Murcia. FromAndalusian Arabic Happapáwr, a fusion of the Arabic word Hab.seed" and the Latin papāver" (بح)

2. abacero: owner of an abacería, small food shop. From AndalusiArabic SaHb azzád (دازلا بحاص) "owner of the supplies."

3. abadí: descendant/lineage of Mohammed ben Abad, founder of theTaifa Kingdom of Seville in the 11th century AD. From AndalusiArabic abbadi (يداّبع).

4. abalorio: cheap jewellery or jewellery beads. From AndalusiArabic al balluri (يرولبلا) "made of glass."

5. abarraz: stavesacre (Delphinium staphisagria), a medicinal plant. From Andalusi Arabic Hab ar-ras (سأرلا بح)"head seeds."

6. abasí: pertaining to the Abbasid dynasty, which overthrew the Umayyads in the 8th century.7. abelmosco: musk seeds, an aromatic plant. From Andalusi Arabic Hab el musk (كسملا بح) literally "musk

seeds."8. abencerraje: used in expression: "Zegríes y abencerrajes", which means "partisans of opposite interests". The

Abencerrajes (in Arabic aban as-sarráǧ) was an Arabic family of the Kingdom of Granada, rivals of the Zegríesin the 15th century.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 3

9. abenuz: ebony. From Arabic abanus (سونبأ) of the same meaning.10. abismal: screw in head of a spear. From Arabic al-mismar (رامسملا) "nail."11. abitaque: a cut of wood used in construction of a certain shape and dimension. From Arabic Tabaqa (ةقبط)

"layer" or "intermediate chamber."12. acebibe: raisin. From Arabic zabib (بيبز) of the same meaning.13. acebuche: wild olive tree, or wood from such a tree. From Andalusi Arabic azzabbúǧ.14. aceche: copper, iron or zinc sulphate. From Arabic zāǧ.15. aceifa: Muslim summer military expedition. From Arabic Sa'ifah "harvest" or "summer expedition."16. aceite: oil. From Arabic az-zayt (تيزلا) "oil."17. aceituna: olive. From Arabic نوتيزلا (az-zaytun) "olive."18. aceituní: precious cloth from the Orient. From Arabic az-zaytuni, a possible adaptation of the Chinese city

Tsö-Thung.19. acelga: chard. From Arabic as-silqa of the same meaning.20. acémila: beast of burden; tax formerly paid in Spain. From Arabic az-zamilah "beast of burden."21. acemite: wheat husk; a type of wheat porridge. From Arabic as-samid (ديمسلا).22. acenefa see cenefa.23. aceña: watermill. From Arabic as-saniyah "the lifter."24. acequia: irrigation canal. From Arabic as-saqiyah (ةيقاسلا)"the irrigator."25. acerola: fruit of the trees Malpighia emarginata or M. glabra, generally found in the Americas, of the

Malpighiaceae family. This should be differentiated from the European Service Tree (Sorbus domestica), familyRosaceae. From Arabic zu 'rūrah (ةرورعز). Originally from Syriac za‘rārā.

26. acetre: bucket or cauldron used to extract water from a well; small cauldron used to spray holy water inChristian liturgy. From Arabic as-saTl (لطسلا).

27. aciar: (or acial): instrument used to keep farm-animals still by squeezing their ear or snout. From Arabicaz-ziyār.

28. acíbar: aloe (both the plant and its bitter juice); bitterness, grief, distaste. From Arabic aS-Sabr (ربّصلا).29. acicalar: to clean or polish (Acicalarse in reflexive form); to make oneself look good by combing, shaving etc.

From Arabic aS-Siqal, an instrument used for polishing things.30. acicate: spurs or the spikes on spurs; incentive. From Arabic (Muzil) as-siqaT "what takes away weaknesses."31. acidaque: Muslim dowry. From Arabic as-Sidaq, dowry in Islamic law.32. acimut: azimuth, an astrological concept - the angle with which the meridian forms a vertical circle which

passes through a point in the globe. From Arabic assumut plural of samt.33. ación: handle on the stirrup. From Arabic suyūr (رويس), plural of sayr (ريس) "strap."34. acirate: line of soil used to separate different plots of land; path between two lines of trees. From Arabic SirāT

.(طارص)35. acitara or citara: thin wall, normally on a bridge. From Arabic sitārah (ةراتس), wall to avoid falls.36. achacar: to blame. From Arabic tashakkà (ىكشت): to complain or to blame.37. adafina: pot used by Hebrews to cook. It is buried in embers on Friday night, where it cooks until Saturday.

From Arabic: dafina (ةنيفد) "buried."38. adalid: leader; general of Spanish militia. From Arabic dalil (ليلد).39. adaraja: each of the gaps made by the bricks in a horizonally unfinished wall. From daraja (ةجرد).40. adarga: leather shield. From Arabic daraqah.41. adárgama:(rarely used today) flour. From Arabic darmaka.42. adarme: small portion of something; type of measurement. From Arabic dirham (مهرد).43. adarvar: to shock. From Arabic darb (برض) "blow."44. adarve: wall of a fortress; protection, defense. From Arabic darb (برض)45. adaza: sorghum. From Arabic duqsah.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 4

46. adefera: a small, square wall or floor tile. From Arabic add-ddafeera.47. adehala: that which is granted or taken as obligatory with the price in the leasing or sale of a property. From

Mozarabic ad ihala and originally from Arabic ihala "offering credit."48. adelfa: oleander. From Arabic ad-difla (ىلفدلا) of the same meaning.49. ademán: gesticulation which expresses the will to do something. From Arabic aD-Daman (نامضلا), literally

meaning legal guarantees. The change of meaning is due to the exaggerated promises and gesticulations whichwere offered in such a plea.

50. ademe: wooden structures used to strengthen tunnels in mines. From Arabic di'mah.51. aderra: cord used to press grapes or olives in order to obtain their juice. From Andalusi Arabic ad-dirra a noose

or cord used to punish those who were guilty of fraud.52. adiafa: present or refreshment given to sailors when back from a voyage. From Arabic Diyafa (ةفايض) "present

of hospitality."53. adivas: a disease provoking throat inflammation in animals. From Arabic aD-Dibbah "wolverine" - which is the

old Arabic name for this disease.54. adive: a type of canid similar to a fox. From Arabic di'b (بئذ).55. adobe: brick made from clay. From Arabic at-tuba (ةبوطلا from Coptic tôbe) of the same meaning, and from

ad-dabba.56. adoquín: paving-stone, cobble; block. From Arabic Dukkan bench of rock or wood.57. ador: in regions where water for irrigation is restricted and shared out by local authorities, irrigation-time for

each farm/field. From Arabic dawr.58. aduana: customs house; customs. From Arabic diwan (ناويد).59. aduar: semi-permanent rural settlement, normally used for Gypsies, bedouins or Amerindians in South

America. From Bedouin Arabic duwwar.60. adúcar: type of silk made from the outside of the silk-worm's cocoon. From Andalusi Arabic Haduqa.61. adufe:tambourine used by Spanish Muslims. From Arabic Duff (فد).62. adul: in Morocco, asessor of the Cadí. From Arabic adl "trustworthy person."63. adula: see dula.64. adunia: (adverb) lots. From Andalusi Arabic addunya, originally from classical Arabic duniya (ايندلا) "the

(whole) world."65. adutaque: same meaning as adárgama. From Arabic duqaq (قاقد) "fine flour."66. afán: effort; desire; zeal. From afanar.67. afanar: to steal; to work with passion. From Arabic fanaaʔ (ءانف) "extinction," "annihilation through passion."68. aguajaque: the whitish resin of fennel. From Arabic aw-washaq "contaminated with water."69. agüela: Renta de los derechos sobre préstamos consignados en documento público. From Arabic Hawalah.70. ajabeba: Moorish flute. From Classical Arabic sabbabah.71. ajaquefa: Roof. Same origin as Azaquefa.72. ajaraca: Ornamental loop in Andalusian and Arabic architecture. From Andalusi Arabic Ash-sharakah "loop".73. ajarafe: terrace. From Classical Arabic saraf "commanding height."74. ajebe: Alum; Para rubber tree. From Arabic as-Shabb.75. ajedrea: plant in the genus Satureja (family Lamiaceae), about three decimeters in height, with many branches

and dark, narrow leaves. It is cultivated as an ornamental in gardens. From Arabic assariyya or assiriyya,ultimately from Latin satureia.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 5

Ajedrez, chess

76. ajedrez: chess. From Arabic ash shitrang (جنرطشلا) which isfrom the Sanskrit Chaturang (four armed) as was the shape of theoriginal chess board in India

77. ajenuz: nutmeg flower or Roman Coriander (Nigella sativa).From Andalusi Arabic Shanuz and ultimately Classical ArabicShuniz.

78. ajimez: bent; window divided in the center by a vertical divider;salient balcony done of wood and with lattice windows. FromArabic samis.

79. ajomate: pluricellular alga formed by very thin filaments, withoutknots, bright and of intense green color. It abounds in fresh watersof Spain. From Classical Arabic gumam.

80. ajonjolí: sesame; herbaceous, annual plant of the family of the Pedaliaceae, a meter high, straight stem, serrateand almost triangular leaves, white or rosy corolla, and fruit with four delicate, yellowish, oily and ediblecapsules and many seeds. From Classical Arabic gulgulan "sesame."

81. ajorca: bangle; type of gold hoop, silver or another metal, used by the women to adorn the wrists, arms or thefeet. From Classical Arabic shuruk, ultimately from the word shirāk "strap."

82. ajorrar: To drag, to tow. See Jorro.83. ajuagas: equine animal ulcers. From Classical Arabic shuqaq.84. ajuar: a collection of household and personal items (clothes, furniture, jewelry etc...) which women in Spain

traditionally prepare from a young age for the day in which they marry and move in with their husband. FromArabic Shawar.

85. alacena: cupboard. From Classical Arabic ẖizānah (ةنازخ).86. alacet: foundation of a building. From Classical Arabic asas (ساسأ).

Alacrán, scorpion

87. alacrán: scorpion. From Classical Arabic aqrab (برقع) of samemeaning.

88. aladar: Tuft of hair which falls on either side of the head. FromArabic idar.

89. aladroque: Anchovy. From Andalusi Arabic Al Hatruk, "bigmouthed".

90. alafa: wage; pay. From Classical Arabic alafah "subsistenceallowance."

91. alafia: grace; pardon; mercy. From Andalusian Arabic al afyaultimately from Classical Arabic afiyah (ةيفاع) "health."

92. alahílca: tapestry to adorn the walls. Perhaps of alailaca from Andalusian Arabic ilaqa, and this of ClassicalArabic ilāqah (ةقالع) perhaps meaning "hanger."

93. alajor: Tax which was paid to owners of land where buildings were built. From Arabic Ashur, period of tendays before Easter when debts were paid and alms were given.

94. alajú: Andalusian cake made of almonds, nuts, pine nuts, bread, spices and cooked honey. From al Hashu"filling".

95. alamar: A type of decorative attachment which is buttoned on clothing. From Andalusi Arabic Alam, decoration(in clothes).

96. alambique: alembic. From Arabic al-anbiq "the cup/container holding water", in turn fr Greek.97. alambor: Two meanings in Spanish with two different etymologies. 1)Embankment, from Andalusi Arabic

Harabul "rim", from classical Arabic verb Hawwala, "to alter". 2) Type of Orange tree. From Catalan l'ambor,singular of els zambors, derived from Andalusi Arabic Azzambu.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 6

98. alamín: Village judge who decided on irrigation distribution or official who measured weights. From Arabic alamin.

99. alamud: Steel bar used to close windows. From Arabic amud.100. alaqueca: A type of blood-coloured quartz. From Arabic 'aqiq.101. alárabe: Arab. From Andalusi Arabic (maintaining the definite article al arabi.102. alarde/alardear: To boast/to show off. From Arabic ,show (Alaard ضرعلا)103. alarife: 1)Architect 2) Builder (in mining) 2) Astute or quick witted person (in Argentina and Uruguay). From

Arabic al 'arif: The expert.104. alarije (uva): A type of grape. From Arabic al'aris.105. alaroz: Crossbar which divides a window or a door. From Arabic al'arud: Obstacle placed to block entry.106. alaroza: Fiancée or newly wed wife. From Arabic Andalusi Arabic al arusa.107. alatar: Drug, spice or perfume dealer. From Arabic al attar.108. alatrón: Nitrate foam. From Arabic nattrun.109. alazán/alazano: Reddish cinnamon coloured. (Used commonly to describe horses). From Arabic al ashab.110. alazor: safflower. From Arabic al usfur.111. albacara: Wall around a fortress (within which cattle were normally kept. From Arabic bab al-baqqara The

cattle door. baqara (ةرقب) means "cow" in Arabic.112. albacea: executor (of a will). From Andalusi Arabic Sahb al Wassiya (ةيصولا بحاص); "the owner of the will".113. albacora: Albacore. From Arabic al-bakura "premature" or al-bakrah "young camel."114. albadena: Type of tunic or silk dress. From Arabic badan: Type of shirt which covers the torso.115. albahaca: Basil. From Arabic habaqah.116. albahío: Pale yellowish colour (used commonly for cattle). From Arabic bahi: Shining.117. albalá: Official document. From Arabic al bara'ah.118. albaida: Anthyllis cystoides (Flowering plant). From Arabic al baida: "The white one".119. albanega:1) Net used for hair. 2) Rabbit trap. From Arabic al baniqa.120. albañal: Sewer. From Andalusi Arabic al ballá: "Swallower".121. albañil: Construction worker. From Andalusi Arabic al banni. Originally from classical Arabic banna.122. albaquía: The remainder. From Arabic al-baqi (يقابلا) of the same meaning.123. albarán: Invoice. From Arabic al-bara'ah.124. albarazo: Vitiligo. From Andalusi Arabic Al-Barash.125. albarda: Pack-saddle. From Arabic al-barda'ah.126. albardán: Clown or fool. From Andalusi Arabic albardán: "insolent". Originally from Classical Arabic

bardan: "Idiot (Cold headed)".127. albardín: Plant endemic to the Spanish steppes, similar in nature and use to Esparto. From Arabic "al-bardi":

"papyrus".128. albaricoque: Apricot. From Arabic al-barqouq (قوقربلا) "plum" or "early-ripe."129. albarrada: 1) Same meaning as alcarraza (Clay vase). 2) Stone Wall. From Arabic al-barradah: "the

cooler".130. albarrán: 1) Farm boy 2) Shepherd 3)Person with no fixed residence. From Andalusi Arabic al-barrani:

"Outsider".131. albatoza: Small, covered boat. From Arabic al-gattosha: grebe (Due to the Arabic custom of giving names of

birds to vessels.132. albayalde: Cerrusite. From Arabic al-bayad.133. albéitar: Vet. From Arabic al-baytar.134. albenda: Decorated white linen. From Arabic al-band.135. alberca: Water deposit for irrigation. From Arabic al-birka.136. albérchigo: Apricot tree. From Andalusi Arabic albershiq.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 7

137. albihar: Mayweed. From Arabic Al-Bahar.138. albitana: 1)Fence to protect plants in gardening. 2) Prolongation of the keel or stern post of a ship. From

Arabic al-bitana.139. alboaire:140. albogue: Single-reed clarinet used in Spain. From Arabic al-bûq (قوبلا): The horn or the trumpet.141. alboheza142. albohol143. albollón144. albóndiga: meatball; ball. From Arabic al-bunduqa (ةقدنبلا) "the ball."145. albórbola146. alborga: matweed sandal. From Arabic albúlḡa147. albornía148. albornoz: Bath-robe. From al-burnos (سنربلا); "bathrobe".149. alboronía150. alboroque151. alboroto: Riot, joy. Comes from arabism alborozo (joy), from andalusí-arab al-burúz derived from Classical

Arabic al-burūz, "military parade previous to a campaign".152. alborozo153. albotín154. albricias155. albudeca156. albufera157. albur158. alcabala: A tax.159. alcabor160. alcabtea161. alcacel162. alcachofa: Artichoke. From al-ẖarshoof of the same meaning.163. alcaduz: Water pipe. From Arabic Qâdûs (سوداق) meaning "water-wheel scoop"164. alcafar165. alcahaz: Birdcage. From Arabic qafaṣ (صفق) of the same meaning166. alcahuete: Accomplice, a person who helps another in a love affair, specially an illicit one; gossipy person.

Alcahuete comes from hispanic arabic alqawwad (the messenger), and this from Classical Arabic qawwad. This"messenger" carried messages to a married woman's lover. By extension it became commonly known as anyperson who sets up a love affair, generally illicit.

167. alcaicería168. alcaide:169. alcalde: Mayor. From Arabic al-qadi (the judge). Qadi comes from the verb qada (to judge).170. álcali: alkali. From Arabic qalawi (يولق) of the same meaning.171. alcaller172. alcamiz173. alcamonías174. alcana175. alcaná176. alcancía: Clay money box, penny or piggy bank. From Andalusi Arabic alkanzíyya, derived from classical

Arabic kanz: treasure.177. alcándara

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 8

178. alcandía179. alcandora180. alcanería181. alcanfor182. alcántara/alcantarilla: drain; From Arabic al-qantarah meaning bridge.183. alcaparra: caper. From Andalusian Arabic al-kaparra. Via Latin and Greek.184. alcaraván185. alcaravea186. alcarceña187. alcarraza188. alcarria:189. alcatanes190. alcatara (or alquitara)191. alcatifa192. alcatraz: a bird of the Sulidae family, from arabic سرطقلا al-qaṭrās, meaning sea eagle.193. alcaucil, artichoke. From Spanish Arabic: alqabsíl[a], that comes from mozarab diminutive kapićéḻa, and this

from Spanish Latin: capĭtia, head. (Standard latin, Caput-itis)194. alcavela195. alcazaba196. alcázar: citadel; palace. From Arabic al-qasr (رصقلا) "the citadel."197. alcazuz (or orozuz)198. alcoba: alcove. From Arabic al-qubba "the vault" or "the arch."199. alcohela200. alcohol: from Arabic al-kuhul (لوحكلا) fine powder of antimony sulfide used as eye makeup.201. alcoholar202. alcolla203. alcor204. alcora205. alcorcí206. alcorque207. alcorza208. alcotán209. alcotana210. alcrebite211. alcuacil212. alcubilla213. alcuña214. alcuza215. alcuzcuz216. alchub217. aldaba218. aldea/aldeano: Village/Villager.219. aldiza220. alefriz221. aleja222. alejija223. alema

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 9

224. alerce225. aletría226. aleve/alevoso/alevosía227. aleya228. alfaba229. alfábega230. alfadía231. alfaguara: Geyser. From Arabic fawwâra (ةراوف): spout, fountain, jet d'eau232. alfahar/alfaharería233. alfaida234. alfajeme235. alfajor: Sweet almond shortbread. From Spanish Arabic fašúr, and this from Persian afšor (juice).236. alfalfa: alfalfa. From Arabic al-fafaa literally "the best kind of fodder"237. alfaneque (two meanings, a type of bird, from Arabic al-fanak and a tent from Berber afarag)238. alfanje: A type of sword. From The Arabic al-janyar "dagger"239. alfaque240. alfaqueque241. alfaquí242. alfaquín243. alfaraz244. alfarda (two meanings from al-farda and from al-fardda)245. alfarero: potter246. alfardón247. alfareme248. alfarje249. alfarrazar250. alfaya251. alfayate252. alfazaque253. alféizar: Window ledge. From Arabic al-Hayzar "the one which takes possession".254. alfeñique255. alferecía256. alferez257. alferraz258. alferza259. alficoz260. alfil: bishop, in chess. From Arabic al-feel (ليفلا) "the elephant."261. alfilel/alfiler262. alfinge263. alfitete264. alfiz265. alfolí266. alfombra (two meanings from al-jumra and al-humra)267. alfóndega268. alforfón269. alforja: saddlebag. From Arabic al-khurj ( جرخلا ) "saddle-bag," portmanteau270. alforre

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 10

271. alforrocho272. alforza273. alfóstigo274. alfoz: Neighborhood, district. From Arabic hauz (زوح) meaning "Precinct" or "City limits"275. algaba276. algadara277. algaida278. algalaba279. algalia280. algalife281. algar282. algara283. algarada284. algarabía: incomprehensible talk; gabble; gibberish. From Arabic al-'arabiya: "Arabic".285. algarivo286. algarazo: Short rainstorm. From Arabic al 'ard: "cloud".287. algarrada288. algarrobo: carob. From Arabic al-kharouba "the carob."289. algavaro290. algazafán291. algazara292. algazul293. álgebra: algebra. From the name of al-Khwarizmi' book Hisab al-jabr w’al-muqabala "The Calculus of

Subtraction and Equality."294. algecireño295. algodón, "cotton", from Arabic "al-qúţun (نطق)", meaning "the cotton"296. algorfa297. algoritmo, algorithm, that comes from the name of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, ىسوم نب دمحم

.famous mathematician ,يمزراوخلا298. algorza:299. alguacil, "Sherrif", from Arabic "al-wazîr (ريزولا)," meaning "Minister"300. alguaquida: fuel for a fire. From Arabic waqîda (ةديقو) meaning "Fuel"301. alguaza: Window or door hinge.From Arabic wasl "juncture".

A (Alhadida to Azumbre)

1. alhadida: Old Spanish term for Hadith.2. alhaite: jewel. From Arabic al hayt "string".3. alhaja: jewel. From Arabic al-hagah "the valuable thing."4. alhamar: Red matress or bed cover. From Arabic hanbal: fur bedcover.5. alhamel: (Andalusian Spanish) Beast of burden or human porter. From Arabic hammal.6. alhamí: Stone bench normally covered with azulejos. Refers to the Grenadine town of Alhama.7. alhandal: Colocynth. From Arabic Alhanzal.8. alhanía: 1) Bedroom 2) cupboard 3) A type of small mattress. From Andalusi Arabic al haniyya: Alcove.9. alhaquín: Weaver. From Arabic plural Al Hayikeen. Weavers.10. alharaca: Violent reaction to a small issue. From Arabic haraka.11. alhavara: Flour. From Arabic huwara.12. alhelí: Aegean Wallflower. From Arabic hiri.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 11

13. alheña: Spanish word for Henna and the plant from which it is derived.14. alholva:Fenugreek. From Arabic hulbah-15. alhorí: Same meaning and etymology as more commonly used term Alfolí.16. alhorre: 1) Feaces of newly born child. From Arabic hur: feaces. 2)Skin rash common in babies. Commonly

used in expression yo te curaré el alhorre when threatening to beat a child. From Arabic Shakatu el hurr, skininfection.

17. alhorría: (or ahorría): Expression used for when a slave is freed. From Arabic al-hurriya: Freedom.18. alhucema: Lavender. From Arabic: huzama.19. alhuceña20. alhurreca21. aliacán22. aliara23. alicante24. alicatar25. alicate26. alidada27. alifa28. alifafe (two meanings from an-nafakh and al-lifah)29. alifara30. alijar31. alimara32. alioj33. alirón34. alizace35. alizar36. aljaba37. aljabibe38. aljama39. aljamía/aljamiado: Medieval Romance Spanish or Mozarabic written in Arabic script.40. aljaraz41. aljarfa42. aljébana43. aljerife44. aljez45. aljibe46. aljófar/aljofarar47. aljofifa48. aljor (or aljez)49. aljuba50. aljuma51. añagaza52. almacabra53. almacén: deposit, dry goods store. From Arabic al-majzan of makhzan (نزخملا) "the storage" or "the depot."54. almacería55. almáciga56. almadén57. almádena

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 12

58. almadía59. almadraba: Tuna fishing in Andalusia and particularly in Cadiz province. From Andalusi Arabic Al-madraba,

"place where one beats something or fights", in reference to the fishing technique.60. almadraque61. almagazén62. almagra63. almahala64. almaizar65. almaja66. almajaneque67. almajar68. almajara69. almalafa70. almanaque: almanac (see etymology section in the article for further discussion). From Arabic al-manakh

".the climate." Or possibly from Greek almenichiakon "calendar" (خانملا)71. almacebe72. almarada73. almarbate74. almarcha75. almarjo76. almarrá77. almarraja or almarraza78. almártaga (two meanings, from al-marta'a and al martak)79. almástica80. almatroque81. almazara82. almazarrón83. almea (two meanings, from almay'a and 'alima)84. almejía85. almenara (two meanings, from al-manara and al-minhara)86. almez87. almíbar88. almicantarat89. almijar90. almijara91. almijarra92. almimbar93. alminar94. almiraj/almiraje/almiral95. almirez96. almizate97. almizcle/almizque98. almocadén99. almocafre100. almocárabe101. almoceda102. almocrebe

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 13

103. almocrí104. almodón105. almófar106. almofariz107. almofía108. almofrej/almofrez109. almogama110. almogávar111. almohada: Pillow, from Arabic al-makhada with the same meaning.112. almohade113. almoharrefa114. almohaza115. almojábana116. almojama (see mojama)117. almojarife118. almojaya119. almona120. almoneda121. almoraduj/almoradux122. almorávide:123. almorí124. almoronía: See alboronía.125. almorzar126. almotacén127. almotalafe128. almotazaf/almotazán129. almozala/almozalla130. almud131. almuédano132. almuerzo133. almunia134. alpargata135. alpechín136. alquería: farmhouse. From Arabic al-qaria "the village."137. aloque138. aloquín139. alpargata140. alquequenje141. alquería142. alquermes143. alquerque (Two meanings from al-qirq and al-qariq)144. alquez145. alquezar146. alquibla147. alquicel148. alquilar: Rent.149. alquimia

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 14

150. alquinal151. alquitira152. alquitrán153. alrota154. altabaca155. altamía156. altramuz157. alubia: pea bean158. aludel159. aluquete/luquete160. alloza161. amán162. ámbar163. ámel164. amín165. amirí166. anacalo167. anacora168. anafaga169. anafalla/anafaya170. anafe171. anaquel172. andorra173. andrajo174. anea175. anejir176. anfión177. anorza178. anúteba179. añacal180. añacea/añacear181. añafea182. añafil183. añagaza184. añascar185. añazme186. añicos187. añil (ultimately from Sanskrit nilah "dark blue")188. arabí189. arancel190. arbellón/arbollón191. archí192. argadillo193. argamandel194. argamula195. argán196. argel

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 15

197. argolla198. arguello/arguellarse199. arije200. arimez201. arjorán202. arnadí203. arrabá204. arrabal205. arracada206. arráez207. arrayán208. arrecife209. arrejaque/arrejacar210. arrelde211. arrequife212. arrequive213. arriate214. arricés215. arroba216. arrobda217. arrocabe218. arrope219. arroz: Rice.220. áscar/áscari221. asequi222. asesino: assassin. From Arabic hashshshin "someone who is addicted to hashish (marijuana)." Was originally

use to refer to the followers of the Persian Hassan-i-Sabah (حابص نسح), the Hashshashin.223. atabaca224. atabal225. atabe226. atacar : to tie, to button up. From Andalusi Arabic tákka, originally from classical Arabic tikkah, ribbon used

to fasten clothes. Not to be confused with atacar with the meaning of "to attack", of Italian origin.227. atacir228. atafarra/ataharre229. atafea230. atahona231. atahorma232. ataifor233. ataire234. atalaya235. atalvina236. atambor237. atanor238. atanquía239. ataracea240. atarazana241. atarfe

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 16

242. atarjea243. atarraga244. atarraya245. ataúd: Coffin.246. ataujía247. ataurique248. atifle249. atijara250. atíncar251. atoba252. atocha253. atracae254. atoque255. atríaca/atriaca256. atún: Tuna.257. atutía258. auge: Surge/rise.259. aulaga260. avería261. ayatolá262. azabache263. azabara264. azacán265. azacaya266. azache267. azafate/azafata268. azafrán: saffron. From Arabic za'firan of the same meaning. Perhaps from safra "yellow."269. azahar: White flower, especially from the orange tree. From Spanish Arabic azzahár, and this from Classic

Arabic zahr, flowers270. azalá271. azamboa272. azándar273. azaque274. azaquefa: Covered portico or patio. From Andalusi Arabic assaqifa, portico.275. azar: luck; chance. From Arabic az-zahr "the dice." or North African Arabic az-zhar "luck".276. azarbe277. azarcón278. azarja279. azarnefe280. azarote281. azófar282. azofra/azofrar283. azogue (two meanings: from az-za'uq and from as-suq)284. azolvar285. azor286. azorafa287. azote: Smacking, beating, scourge. From Arabic Sawt.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 17

288. azotea: Flat roof or terrace. From Andalusi Arabic assutáyha, diminutive of sath, terrace in classical Arabic.289. azoya290. azúcar: sugar. From Arabic (ركس) sukkar of the same meaning.291. azucarí292. azucena293. azuche294. azud295. azufaifa/azufaifo296. azul: Blue. Derived from Arabic Lazaward.297. azulaque (or zulaque)298. azulejo299. azúmbar300. azumbre: Measurement for liquids equivalent to around two litres. From Del Andalusi Arabic aTTúmn, and

this from classical Arabic: Tum[u]n, "an eighth".

B

1. babismo: Babism. From Arabic باب "door."2. babucha: Slippers. From Arabic Baboush, itself from Latin pede[m], "foot".3. badal: Cut of meat from the back and ribs of cattle, close to the neck. From Andalusi Arabic bad'a "Calf muscle"

derived from classical Arabic bad'ah "piece".4. badán: Trunk of an animal. From Arabic badan.5. badana: 1) Sheepskin, 2) hat lining 3) Lazy person. From Arabic bitana, "lining".6. badea: 1) Watermelon or Melon of bad quality. 2) Insipid cucumber 3) Weak person 4) Unimportant thing. From

Arabic battiha: "bad melon".7. badén: Dip in land, road, sidewalk or ford. From Arabic batin: Sunken (land).8. bagarino: Free or hired sailor, as opposed to a press-ganged or enslaven one. Same origin as baharí.9. bagre: a freshwater fish that has no scales and has a chin. From Arabic baghir or baghar.10. baharí: Bird of prey. From Arabic bahri: "from the sea".11. baja: pasha, Turkish officer or governor of high rank. From Arabic basha ultimately from Turkish pasha of the

same meaning.12. baladí: 1) Unimportant thing or matter. 2) Something of the land our country. From Arabic baladiy "From the

country".13. balaj/balaje: Purple ruby. From Arabic Balahshi: From Balahshan (region in central Asia where these stones

are found).14. balate15. balda (and baldío)16. baldar17. balde: 1)Free. 2) without cause or 3) in vain. from Arabic batil "false" or "useless."18. bancal19. baño20. baraka21. barbacana22. barcino23. bardaje24. bardoma/bardomera25. barragán26. barrio-area or district

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 18

27. bata (either from Arabic batt of French ouate)28. batán29. batea30. baurac31. bayal32. baza (either Arabic or Italian origin)33. bazar-bazaar34. belez35. bellota: acorn, the fruit or seed of the oak tree. From Arabic balluta of the same meaning.36. ben37. benimerín38. benjui39. berberí40. berberís41. bereber42. berenjena/berenjenal43. bezaar/bezoar44. biznaga45. bocací46. bodoque/bodocal47. bófeta48. bórax49. borní50. boronía51. botor52. bujía53. bulbul54. burche55. buz56. buzaque

C

1. cabila: tribe of Berbers or Bedouins. From Arabic qabila "tribe."2. cachera3. cadí4. cadira5. café: coffee. From qahwa of the same meaning.6. cáfila7. cafiz (or cahiz)8. cafre9. caftán10. cáid (same origin as alcaide)11. caimacán12. cala13. calabaza: Pumpkin or squash. From Arabic qerabat, plural of qerbah, meaning wineskin.14. calafate/calafatear15. calahorra

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 19

16. calí (same root as álcali)17. cálibo/calibre18. cambuj19. camocán20. canana-cartridge belt21. cáncana/cancanilla22. cáncano23. cande (in azúcar cande)24. canfor25. caraba26. cárabe27. cárabo: owl; dog. Taken from qaraab and kalb "dog," respectively.28. caracoa29. caramida30. caramuzal31. caravana32. caravasar33. carcajada/carcajear34. carcax35. carmen/carme: From Spanish Arabic kárm, and this from Classic Arabic karm, vine.36. carmesí: crimson. From quirmizi37. carmín38. carraca39. carrafa40. cártama/cártamo41. catán42. catifa43. cazurro44. cebiche45. cebtí46. ceca47. cedoaria48. cegatero49. cegrí50. ceje51. celemí/celemín/celeminero52. cenacho53. cendolilla54. cenefa55. ceneque56. cení57. cenia58. cenit59. cequí60. cerbatana61. cero: zero. From sifr of the same meaning.62. cetís

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 20

63. ceutí64. chafariz65. chafarote66. chaleco67. charrán68. chifla69. chilaba (from Moroccan Arabic)70. chiquero71. chirivía72. chisme73. chivo74. choz75. chupa76. chuzo77. cianí78. cibica79. cica80. cicalar81. cicatear82. cicatero (cicatero has a different root to cicatear)83. ciclán84. ciclar85. ciclatón86. cid87. cifaque88. cifra/cifrar89. címbara90. cimboga91. cimitarra92. circón93. citara94. civeta/civeto95. coba/cobista96. cofa97. coima98. coime99. colcótar100. cora101. Corán102. corbacho103. corma104. cotonía105. cubeba106. cúrcuma107. curdo108. cuscuta

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 21

D,E

1. dado: die (cube or stamp). From Classical Arabic a'dad "numbers."2. daga - dagger3. dahír4. daifa5. dante6. darga (or adarga)-shield7. dársena-dock/basin8. daza9. derviche10. descafilar11. destartalado12. dey13. dínar14. dirham15. diván-divan/couch16. droga-drug17. druso18. dula/dular19. edrisí20. ejarbe21. elche22. elemí23. embelecar/embeleco24. emir (or amir)25. encaramar26. enchufar/enchufe: To plug in/plug; To connect, to offer a job or a post through personal connections. From

Andalusi Arabic Juf derived from Classical Arabic Jawf: stomach; internal cavity.27. engarzar-to set/thread28. enjalma29. enjarje30. enjeco31. escabeche: Pickle or marinade. From Arabic as-sukbaj. Originally from Persian Sekba.32. escafilar (see descafilar)33. escaque/escaquear34. espinaca-spinach35. exarico

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 22

F,G

1. faca2. falagar3. falca4. falleba5. faltriquera-pocket6. falúa/faluca7. fanega/hanega8. fanfarrón9. faranga (or haragán), lazy, idler, loafer10. farda11. fardacho12. farfán13. fárfara14. farnaca15. farota16. farruco17. felús18. fetua19. fez20. fideo21. filelí22. foceifiza23. fondolí24. fondac/fonda25. foz26. fulano, "any one" without naming, X of people. Arabic: Fulan.27. fustal28. fustete29. gabán30. gabela31. gacel/gacela32. gafetí33. galacho34. galanga35. galbana36. gálibo37. galima38. gandula/gandula39. gañan40. garama41. garbino42. gardacho43. garfa44. gárgol45. garra46. garrafa

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 23

47. garrama48. garroba49. gazpacho50. gilí51. gomer52. granadí53. grisgrís54. guadamací55. guájara56. guájete57. guala58. guarismo59. guifa60. guilla61. gumía62. gurapas

H, I

1. habiz2. habús3. hachís4. hacino5. hadruba6. hafiz7. hálara8. hálara9. hamudí10. haragán11. harambel12. harbar13. harén14. harma15. harón16. Hasaní17. hasta: Until. From Arabic hatta (same meaning). Influenced by Latin phrase 'ad ista'[3]

18. hataca19. hazaña20. he: Adverb used in following manner: "he aquí/ahí/allí": Here it is/there it is. From Arabic haa.[3]

21. hégira22. hobacho/hobacha23. holgazán: Lazy person. From Arabic Kaslan. Influenced by Holgar.24. holgar25. hoque/oque26. horro/horra27. imam, imán28. imela29. islam

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 24

J, K

1. jabalí : Wild Boar. From Arabic jebeli: From the mountains. Perhaps originally from Khanzeer Jebelí: MountainPig.

2. jabalón3. jabeca4. jabeque5. jabí : A type of apple and type of grape. From Andalusi Arabic sha‘bí, a type of apple.6. jácara7. jácena8. jacerino9. jadraque10. jaez11. jaguarzo12. jaharí13. jaharral14. jaharrar15. jaima16. jaique17. jalear18. jalma (or enjalma)19. jaloque20. jametería21. jámila22. japuta23. jaque24. jaqueca: Migraine. From Arabic Shaqiqa, with same meaning.25. jáquima26. jara27. jarabe28. jaraíz29. jarcha30. jareta31. jaricar32. jarifo/jarifa33. jarquía34. jarra: Pitcher or other pot with handle(s). From ǧarrah, same as english jar.35. jatib36. jazarino/jazarina37. jazmín: jasmine. From Arabic yasmin then from Persian word the same word38. jebe39. jeliz40. jemesía41. jeque: From Arabic shaikh or sheikh, older42. jerife: From Arabic sharif, noble, respected.43. jeta: Snout, face, cheek (in both literal and figurative sense). From Arabic khatm: "snout".44. jifa45. jinete

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 25

46. jirafa: giraffe. From ziraffa of the same meaning.47. jirel48. jofaina: a wide and shallow basin for domestic use. From ǧufaynah.49. jofor50. jorfe51. joroba52. jorro53. juba/aljuba/jubón54. jurdía55. jurel56. kermes

L,M

1. laca: resinous substance tapped from the Lacquer Tree. From Arabic lak, taken from Persian lak, ultimately fromSanskrit laksha literally meaning "one hundred thousand" referring to the large number of insects that gather andsap out all the resin from the trees.

2. lacre3. lapislázuli: lapis lazuli, a deep blue mineral. From Arabic lazaward (دروزال) from Persian lagvard or lazward,

ultimately from Sanskrit rajavarta literally meaning "ringlet of the king."4. latón: brass. From Arabic latun from Turkish altin "gold."5. laúd: lute. From Arabic al 'ud (دوعلا) "the lute."6. lebeche: Southeasterly wind on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. From Andalusi Arabic Labash.7. lebení: a Moorish beverage prepared from soured milk. From Arabic labani (ينابل) "dairy."8. leila: from Arabic layla (ةليل) "night."9. lelilí: Shouts and noise made by moors when going into combat or when celebrating parties. From la illaha ila

allah( هللا الإ هلإ ال): There is no god but Allah; Ya leilí (يليلاي) : Night of mine; ya 'ayouni (ينويع اي) : Myeyes.

10. lima: lime. From Arabic limah of the same meaning.11. limón: lemon. From laymoon (نوميل) , derived from the Chinese word limung.12. loco: crazy. From Arabic lawqa "fool."13. macabro14. macsura15. madraza16. magacén17. magarza/magarzuela18. maglaca19. maharon/maharona20. maharrana/marrana/marrano21. mahozmedín22. maimón23. majareta24. majzén25. mamarracho26. mameluco27. mamola28. mandeísmo29. mandil

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 26

30. maquila31. marabú32. maravedí33. marcasita34. marchamo35. márfega36. marfil37. marfuz/a38. margomar39. marjal40. marlota41. marojo42. maroma43. marrano pig; cf. Arabic muharram "forbidden".44. marras45. márraga46. masamuda: (adj) Individual from the Berber Masmuda tribe, from which originate the Almohades, a movement

which ruled Spain and North Africa in the XII century. From Arabic: Masamuda.47. matafalúa48. mártaga49. máscara50. matarife51. mate52. matraca53. matula54. mauraca55. mazapán56. mazarí57. mazarrón58. mazmodina59. mazmorra: Dungeon. From Arabic matmura "silo".60. mazorca: corn cob; roll of wool or cotton. From Andalusi Arabic: Masurqa, derived from classical Arabic

Masura (ةروسام) : a tube used as a bobbin (sewing) .61. meca: Place which is attractive because of a particular activity. From Arabic Mekkah(ةكم).62. mechinal63. mejala64. mejunje65. mendrugo66. mengano/mengana: Expression of similar meaning as fulano or zutano, used always after the former but after

the latter, meaning "whoever". From Arabic man kan meaning "whoever".67. mequetrefe: Nosy or useless person. From Andalusi Arabi qatras meaning person of boastful demeanor.68. mercal69. metical70. mezquino71. mía: A military term, formerly designating a regular native unit composed of 100 men in the Spanish

protectorate of northern Morocco; by analogy, any colonial army. From Arabic Mi'ah: one hundred(ةئم).72. mihrab:

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 27

73. miramamolín74. moaxaja75. mogataz76. mogate77. moharra78. moharracho79. mohatra80. mohedal81. mohino82. mojama (originally almojama): Delicacy of phoenician origin from the region of Cadiz. It consists of filleted

salt-cured tuna. From the Arabic al mushama: "momified or waxed".83. mojí84. momia85. mona86. monfí87. morabito88. moraga89. morapio90. mozárabe91. mudéjar92. muftí93. mujalata94. mulato: Likely from Muwallad, as with the Muladi. Walad (دلو ) means, "descendant, offspring, scion; child;

son; boy; young animal, young one". According to DRAE, from mulo (mule), in the sense of hybrid.95. mulquía96. muslim/muslime: (Adjective) Muslim. From Arabic Muslim (ملسم).

N, O,P, Q

1. nabí: Prophet among arabs. From Arabic nabiy.2. nacar: Innermost of the three layers of a seashell. From Catalan nacre, derived from Andalusi Arabic naqra,

small drum.3. nácara: Type of small metallic drum used historically by the Spanish cavalry. Same etymology as nacar.4. nadir: Nadir, the point on the celestial sphere opposite the zenith directly below the observer. From nadheer.5. nádir: In Morocco, administrator of a religious foundation.6. nagüela: Small hut for human habitation. From Andalusi Arabic nawalla: hut.7. naife: High quality diamond. From Andalusi Arabic nayif. Originally from classical Arabic na'if: excellent.8. naipe: Playing card. From Catalan naíp. Originally from Arabic ma'ib.9. naranja: from Arabic nāranja, fr Persian nārang, fr Sanskrit nāranga, fr a Dravidian language akin to Tamil

naŗu "fragrant".10. narguile11. natrón12. nazarí: Related to the Nasrid kingdom or dynasty of Granada.13. nenúfar: Water-lily. From Arabic naylufar from Persian nilofer, niloofar, niloufar.14. nesga15. noria: Watermill, Ferris wheel. From Arabic na'urah.16. nuca: Nape of the neck. From Arabic nuḫā' عخنم ، عاخن , via Medieval Latin nucha.17. ojalá: "I hope"; "I wish that...". From law šhaʾ allāh "God willing." [4]

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 28

18. ¡ole! (or olé): The most famous expression of approval, support or encouragement, possibly comes from wa-llah!by Allah , هللا و

19. omeya: adj. Related to the Ummayyad.20. orozuz21. ox22. papagayo23. quermes24. quilate/quirate25. quilma26. quina27. quintal: weight unit of about 46 kg.

R,S,T

1. rabadán2. rabal3. rabazuz4. rabel5. rábida6. rafal7. rafe8. ragua9. rahez10. ramadán11. rambla12. rauda13. rauta14. real: Military encampment; plot where a fair is organized; (in Murcia region) small plot or garden. From Arabic

rahl: camping.15. rebato16. rebite17. recamar18. recua19. redoma20. rehala21. rehalí22. rehén: Hostage or captive. From Arabic ةنيهر, captive, ransom.23. rejalgar: realgar. From Andalusi Arabic reheg al-ghar: "powder of the cave"24. requive25. resma26. retama27. rincón: Corner. From Andalusi Arabic rukan, derived from classicar Arabic Rukn.28. robda29. robo (or arroba)30. roda31. romí/rumí32. ronzal33. roque

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 29

34. sajelar35. salema36. sandía: Watermelon. From Arabic Sindiya "from Sindh (province in India)".37. sarasa: Homosexual or effeminate man. From "Zaraza".38. sarraceno39. sebestén40. secácul41. serafín42. siroco43. sofí44. sófora45. soldán46. soltaní47. sufí48. sura49. tabal (or atabal)50. tabaque51. tabefe52. tabica53. tabique54. taca55. tafurea56. tagarino/tagarina57. tagarnina58. taha59. tahalí60. tahona61. tahúr62. taifa: Refers to an independent Muslim-ruled principality, an emirate or petty kingdom, of which a number

formed in the Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia) after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031.Used in numerous expressions. Can also mean 1) a faction 2) a group of people of ill judgement. 3) un reino deTaifas (a kingdom of Taifas) can also refer to a chaotic or disorderly state of affairs. From classical ArabicTa'ifah: faction.

63. tajea64. talco65. talega66. talvina67. támara68. tamarindo69. tambor70. tara71. taracea72. taraje73. tarasí74. tarbea75. tarea76. tareco

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 30

77. tarida78. tarifa79. tarima80. tarquín81. tarraya82. taza: cup. From Tasa.83. tértil84. tíbar85. tochibí86. tomín87. toronja88. toronjil89. trafalmejas90. truchimán/na91. trujamán/na92. tuera93. tumbaga94. Tunecí95. turbit96. turquí (in Azul Turquí)97. tutía (or atutía)

V,X,Y,Z

1. vacarí: from Arabic baqari(يرقب) "bovine."2. velmez: from Arabic malbas(سبلم) "clothing."3. visir: vizier. From Arabic wazir (ريزو) "minister."4. yébel: from Arabic jabal; "mountain"5. zabalmedina: in the Middle Ages, judge with civil and criminal jurisdiction in a city. From Arabic Sahib al

Medina "Chief of the City."6. zabarcera: women who sells fruits and other food. Same origin as abacero7. zabazala: imam who leads Islamic prayer. From Arabic SaHb aS-Salah "Leader of prayer."8. zabazoque: same meaning as almotacén. From Arabic SáHb as súq "Leader of the Market."9. zábila: aloe vera (used mainly in Latin America) From Andalusi Arabic sabíra, originally from classical Arabic

Sibar.10. zabra: type of vessel used in the Bay of Biscay in the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age. From

Arabic zauraq.11. zacatín: in some villages, a square where clothes are sold. From saqqatin, plural of saqqat: seller of clothes.12. zafar: a number of meanings in Spain and Latin American countries: To free, to untie, to ignore, to unknit

among others. From Arabic azaHa: to take away.13. zafarí: Granada zafarí: a type of pomegranate. Higo zafarí: a type of fig. From Arabic Safr.14. zafariche: Structure used for placing clay urns. Same etymology as jaraíz (see above).15. zafio: Uncouth. From Andalusi Arabic Fellah safi: "Mere peasant".16. zafrán: See Azafran.17. zaga: Backside of something. Cargo on the back of a truck. From Arabic Saqah: Rear, rearguard.18. zagal: boy. From Andalusian Arabic zaḡál, traditional Arabic zuḡlūl. Same meaning.19. zagaya (or azagaya)20. zagua

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 31

21. zaguán: hall. From Andalusian Arabic istawán, traditional Arabic usṭuwān(ah).22. zagüía23. zaharrón24. zahén25. zahón26. zahora27. zahorí28. zaida29. zaino30. zala31. zalamelé32. zalea/zalear33. zalema/zalama34. zalmedina: Same meaning and origin as zabalmedina.35. zalona36. zamacuco37. zambra: Traditional festivity of the Moriscos in Spain which is maintained by the Gypsy community of

Sacromonte, Granada. From Andalusi Arabic Zamra, originally from classical Arabic Zamr.38. zanahoria: carrot, presumably from Andalusi Arabic. The only Arabic dialect with a cognate form is Tunisian

with sfinaria.39. zaque: Leather recipient for wine or extracting water from a well. Drunken person. From Andalusi Arabic zaqq.

Originally from classical Arabic ziqq.40. zaquizamí41. zaragüelles42. zaranda/zarandillo/zarandaja43. zarandear: To shake vigorously / push around / toss about. From Zaranda.44. Zaratán: Breast Cancer. From the Arabic Saratan: crab.45. zarazán:46. zarco47. zarracatín48. zarzahán49. zatara50. zéjel51. zoco (or azogue): market. From Arabic souk of the same meaning.52. zofra53. zorzal: Thrush, intelligent person. From Andalusi Arabic Zurzal, originally from classical Arabic zurzur.54. zubia: Place where a large amount of water flows. From Arabic Zubya.55. zulaque56. zulla57. zumaque: sumac. From Arabic simaq of the same meaning.58. zumo: fruit juice. From Arabic zum.59. zuna: Sunnah, from Arabic Sunnah60. zurriaga or 'zurriago: Refers to a type of whip and to a lark. From Andalusi Arabic Surriyaqa

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 32

Words with a coincidental similarity to Arabic• el. The Spanish definite articles el / la / lo / los / las, like most definite articles in the Romance languages, derive

from the Latin demonstratives ille / illa / illud. The similarity to the Arabic article al seems to be a merecoincidence.

• usted. The formal second-person pronoun usted is derived from a shortening of the old form of address Vuestramerced, as seen in dialectal Spanish vosted, Catalan vostè, etc. The possibility of a link with the Arabic wordustādh ('professor'/'doctor') seems very remote.

Other Influences1. The suffix í. Arabic has a very common type of adjective, known as the nisba or relationship adjective, which is

formed by adding the suffix -ī (masc.) o ةي -iyya (fem.) to a noun. This has given Spanish the suffix -í (both masc.and fem.), creating adjectives from nouns which indicate relationship or belonging. Examples are Marbellí, Ceutí,Maghrebí, Zaragocí, Andalusí or Alfonsí.

2. Expressions. A number of expressions such as "¡Ole!" (sometimes spelled "olé" ), possibly from wa'llah, orojalá, from law sha'a Allah, have been borrowed directly from Arabic. Furthermore, many expressions in Spanishmight have been calqued from their Arabic equivalent. Examples would be si Dios quiere, que Dios guarde orbendito sea Dios. The generally accepted etymology of hidalgo 'nobleman' — Old Spanish fijo d'algo — iscomposed of Latin roots (cf. Modern Spanish hijo 'son' + algo 'something'), but it might be a calque of an Arabicphrase using ibn 'son' to mean simply 'person characterized by (the idea expressed by the following noun)'. In OldSpanish, algo could mean 'wealth, property'.

3. Phonetics: Although the phonetic influence of Arabic on standard peninsular Spanish is considered to benegligible, Arabic influence is thought to have influenced the phonetics of the Andalusian dialect of Spanish (andindirectly certain Latin American dialects). For example, the use of the fricative H, or the substitution of the sh forthe ch sound is considered to be a result of contact with Arabic.

Toponyms (place names) in Iberia of Arabic originThere are hundreds if not thousands of place names derived from Arabic in the Iberian peninsula including provincesand regions, cities, towns, villages and even neighborhoods and streets. They also include geographical features suchas mountains, mountain ranges, valleys and rivers. Toponyms derived from Arabic are common in all of Spain(including much of the North of the country) except for those regions which never came under Muslim rule or whereit was particularly short-lived. These regions include Galicia and the Northern coast (Asturias, Cantabria and theBasque country) as well as northern Catalonia and Aragon. Regions where place names of Arabic origin areparticularly common are the Eastern Coast (Valencia and Murcia) and the region of Andalusia. In Portugal, thefrequency of Arabic toponyms increases as one travels south in the country.Those toponyms which maintained their pre-Islamic name during the Muslim period were generally Arabized, andthe mark of either the old Arabic pronunciation or the popular pronunciation from which it derived is noticeable intheir modern names: e.g. Hispalis - Ishbiliya - Sevilla.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 33

Major towns, cities and regions• Albarracín City of Aragón. Derived from Al Banū Razin, name of the Berber governor of the town.• Axarquía Eastern region of Málaga province, From Arabic Ash-sharquía(ةيقرشلا): The eastern/oriental (region).• Andalucía Most populated and 2nd largest autonomous community in Spain. Derived from سلدنألا, Al Andalus,

the Arabic name for Muslim Iberia.• Albacete city and province of Castilla-La Mancha. Derived from Arabic Al Basit (طيسبلا) (the plain).• Algarve Region of southern Portugal. From Arabic al gharb(برغلا), the west.• Algeciras City and port in Cadiz province. Derived from Al Jazeera Al Khadra (ءارضخلا ةريزجلا) meaning the

green island.• Almería City and province of Andalucía. From Al Meraya, the watchtower.• Alpujarras (originally Alpuxarras) Region extending South of Granada into Almería. From Arabic

Al-Busherat: The grasslands.• Badajoz City and province of Extremadura. Badajoz was called Pax Augusta by the romans and most likely the

current name is derived from an Arabic corruption of the original Latin name.• Calatayud City of Aragón. Derived from Qal'at Ayyūb (Arabic بويأ ةعلق) meaning "(Ayyūb) Job´s Fortress".• Guadalajara City and province of Castilla la Mancha. From Wādī al-Ḥijārah (Arabic ةراجحلا يداو), River or

canyon of Stones.• Jaén City and province of Andalusia From Arabic Jayyan, crossroads of caravans.• Lisboa (Lisbon). Capital of Portugal. Derived from Arabic name: al-'Ishbūnah in Arabic ةنوبشألا (from Latin

Olisippo, ultimately Celtic)• Madrid Capital of Spain. Derived from original Arabic name: al-MagrīT, طيرجملا: "Source of water", which

pertains to Rio Manzanares that flows through it.• La Mancha Wide arid steppes covering much of Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Albacete provinces. Derived

from original Arabic name: la'a Ma-anxa : "No water".• Medina Sidonia: Town and municipality in Cadiz province, from madina, city.• Tarifa town in Cadiz province, Andalusia. Originally Jazeera Tarif (فيرط ةريزج): the island of Tarif. Derived

form the first name of the Berber conqueror Tarif ibn Malik.• La Sagra, an arid region between Toledo and Madrid. Name derived from arabic Sahra ءارحص "desert".• Valladolid, a town and province of Castilla y Leon region in northern Spain. Name derived from Balad al-Walid

in Arabic, meaning 'Land of Walid'.• Ubeda, a town in Jaen province, Andalusia. From the Arabic Ubadat el Arab.

Geographical features• Guadiana river. Meaning "River Anae" (from the original Latin name Fluminus Anae, "River of Ducks").• Guadalquivir river. Derived from Arabic: al-wādĩ al-kabir ريبكلا يداولا, "the big river".• Javalambre. Mountain in southern Aragon, Jabal 'Amr, meaning "Mountain of 'Amr".• Mulhacén. Highest mountain in peninsular Spain. Named after 15th century Arabian Sultan of Granada Ali

Muley Hacén Abu al-Hasan.• Pico Almanzor. Mountain in the Gredos Mountains of Central Spain. Named after "Almanzor" Al-Mansur Ibn

Abi Aamir, defacto ruler of Al Andalus in late 10th - early 11th centuries.• Cape Trafalgar. From Andalusi Arabic Taraf-al-ghar.

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 34

Given Names and SurnamesMale given names

• Omar.• Ismael, but also a Biblic name, corresponding to the Hebrew Ishmael.• Ibrahim.Female given names

• Almira.• Almudena, from al-mudayna, citadel, fortress. From the Virgin of Almudena, patroness of Madrid, Spain.• Fátima, derived from Our Lady of Fátima.• Soraya, probably popularized after the late Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari.• Yasmine, meaning "Jasmine Flower".• Zahira, popular in Latin America.Surnames

A few given names taken from Arabic, or with indirect Arabic etymology, are commonly used in theSpanish-speaking world. Surnames of indirect Arabic origin, such as Medina, Almunia, Guadarrama or Alcaide aremuch more common, often referring to toponyms or professions.Few, if any, Arabic surnames names remain as a result of Muslim descendence. The reason being that it wascommon practice, throughout Spanish history for ethnic and religious minorities to change their surnames to escapepersecution by the Catholic Church. Furthermore, Spanish Muslims were compelled to adopt Christian surnames bya series of royal decrees in the 16th century. 17th century Morisco leader Muhammad Ibn Ummaya, for example,was born to the Christian name Fernando de Córdoba y Valor.• Alcaide, meaning governor or commander of a Spanish fortress or prison.• Alfonso, transliterated from the name "Alfonsh"[5]

• Guadarrama, taken from the from the name of the mountain range between Segovia and Madrid. In Arabic: "wādīal-ramah".[6]

• Medina, meaning Dweller at or near the market or one who had returned from the market also from the city ofMedina in western Saudi Arabia, the second most holy city of Islam. According to the Instituto Genealógico eHistórico Latino-Americano, the Medina surname originated principally in the Spanish areas of Burgos andAndalusia.[7]

See also• Influence of Arabic on other languages• List of Arabic loanwords in English• List of French words of Arabic origin• List of Portuguese words of Arabic origin

Suggestions for further researchIn the English language, search the online catalogs of United States university libraries using the Library of Congress(LC) subject heading, "Spanish language foreign elements".When searching Spanish language Web sites, use the subject term, "arabismos".

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 35

Selected reference works and other academic literatureThese works have not necessarily been consulted in the preparation of this article.• Abu-Haidar, J. A. 1985. Review of Felipe Maíllo Salgado, Los arabismos del castellano en la baja edad media

(consideraciones históricas y filológicas). Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 48(2): 353-354.University of London. Stable URL: http:/ / links. jstor. org/sici?sici=0041-977X%281985%2948%3A2%3C353%3ALADCEL%3E2. 0. CO%3B2-X [8]

• Cabo Pan, José Luis. El legado del arabe [9]. Mosaico 8:7-10. Revista para la Promoción y Apoyo a la Enseñanzadel Español. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia del Reino de España, Consejería de Educación y Ciencia enBélgica, Países Bajos y Luxemburgo. [Article with convenient, short word lists, grouped by theme. In PDF. Referto Mosaico's portal page. [10] ]

• Corriente, Federico. 2003. Diccionario de arabismos y voces afines en iberorromance. (2nd expanded ed.; 1st ed.1999) Madrid: Gredos. 607 p.

• Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy). Diccionario de la lengua española (DRAE) [2], online.• Maíllo Salgado, Felipe. 1991/1998. Los arabismos del castellano en la Baja Edad Media : consideraciones

históricas y filológicas. Salamanca: Universidad de Salamanca. 554 p. [2nd ed., corrected and enlarged; 1st ed.1983]

• Ibid. 1996. Vocabulario de historia árabe e islámica. Madrid: Akal. 330 p.• Pezzi, Elena. 1995. Arabismos: estudios etimológicos. Almería: Universidad de Almería. 160 p.• Sola-Solé, Josep María. 1983. Sobre árabes, judíos y marranos y su impacto en la lengua y literatura españolas.

Barcelona: Puvill. 279 p.• Toro Lillo, Elena. La invasión árabe. Los árabes y el elemento árabe en español. In the Cervantes Virtual Library

[11]. Includes a brief list of historical sound changes. Useful bibliography.

Selected resource pages of universities and research institutes• Instituto de Estudios Islámicos y del Oriente Próximo. Search results consisting of Institute publications whose

entries contain the word "arabismos" [12]

• Universidad de Granada. Holdings under the subject "arabismos" [13]

External links• La invasión árabe. Los árabes y el elemento árabe en español [11], by Elena Toro Lillo; Biblioteca Virtual Miguel

de Cervantes• Arabic Influences in Various Languages [14]

References[1] ENSEÑANZA DEL ACERVO LÉXICO ÁRABE DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA (http:/ / cvc. cervantes. es/ ensenanza/ biblioteca_ele/

asele/ pdf/ 13/ 13_0697. pdf) "El léxico español de procedencia árabe es muy abundante: se ha señalado que constituye, aproximadamente, un8% del vocabulario total".

[2] http:/ / www. rae. es[3] The Diccionario de la Lengua Española (http:/ / buscon. rae. es/ draeI/ SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3& LEMA=hasta) of the Real Academia

Española[4] http:/ / buscon. rae. es/ draeI/ SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3& LEMA=ojalá DRAE entry[5] baheyeldin.com/.../portuguese-and-spanish-names-and-their-arabic-equivalents.html[6] http:/ / www. answers. com/ topic/ guadarrama-1[7] http:/ / genealogy. about. com/ library/ surnames/ m/ bl_name-MEDINA. htm[8] http:/ / links. jstor. org/ sici?sici=0041-977X%281985%2948%3A2%3C353%3ALADCEL%3E2. 0. CO%3B2-X[9] http:/ / www. sgci. mec. es/ be/ media/ pdfs/ articulos/ Mosaico083. pdf

Arabic influence on the Spanish language 36

[10] http:/ / www. sgci. mec. es/ be/ publicaciones/ mosaico/ articulos. htm[11] http:/ / www. cervantesvirtual. com/ servlet/ SirveObras/ scclng/ 01350531966682286190680/ p0000001. htm[12] http:/ / www. ieiop. com/ publicaciones/ buscador. php[13] http:/ / adrastea. ugr. es/ search*spi/ dArabismos/ darabismos/ -3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/ exact& FF=darabismos& 1%2C14%2C[14] http:/ / www2. ignatius. edu/ faculty/ turner/ arabicspanish. htm

Article Sources and Contributors 37

Article Sources and ContributorsArabic influence on the Spanish language  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=369379987  Contributors: Aeusoes1, Ahmad2099, An--egyptian--girl, Asterion, Aziz1005,Belchman, BorgQueen, Burgas00, Cbdorsett, CultureDrone, DH85868993, Davecrosby uk, Dbachmann, Dividing, Drmaik, Dwo, Echuck215, Eekerz, Egypt42, Epf, Eric Shalov, FayssalF,FilipeS, FordPrefect42, Garcilaso, Gibmetal77, Gobonobo, Gonbal2, Grafen, Gundisalvo, Guzman ramirez, Hameryko, Harriherrihorri, Hempfel, Hippietrail, Hraefen, Hurmata, Hussam al-Hariri,Hussam ksa, Inahet, Izmir2, J Di, Jagged, Jagged 85, Jeff3000, Jidan, John, John254, Joseph Solis in Australia, Jotamar, Karimobo, Khaled hosny, Kotabatubara, Kwamikagami, LilHelpa, Locosepraix, Louanna007, MK8, Madler, Marquez, Martin253, MartinezMD, Mboverload, Mellamoandres, Misheu, Nordisk varg, Not home, P.4.P. No. 1, Pradiptaray, R9tgokunks, Ramirez72,Randomlychaotic, Richard Ye, Rofl, Sahfrei, Sebatianalfar, Severo, Sirmylesnagopaleentheda, Sobreira, Suirea, Szfski, TDogg310, Tabletop, Thiseye, TrueColour, Wachowich,WereSpielChequers, 185 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:Mosque of Cordoba Spain.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mosque_of_Cordoba_Spain.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: StevenJ. Dunlop, Nerstrand, MNImage:Corn Poppy (Papaver rhoeas).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Corn_Poppy_(Papaver_rhoeas).jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors:User:MidimacmanImage:ChessSet.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ChessSet.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: Andrew69., BrokenSegue, Dbenbenn,Interpretix, Roberto Cruz, 2 anonymous editsImage:Black scorpion.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Black_scorpion.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: Dbenbenn, EugeneZelenko,Inductiveload, Kilom691, Santana-freitas, 1 anonymous edits

LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unportedhttp:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/