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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, , 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. 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.</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 ,

cognate with Latin '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)
, : 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

References