Spanish Arabic Urdu Cognates

Spanish Arabic Urdu Cognates

Not included in the brief selection of Spanish words derived from Arabic given below are words of mozarabe derivation because it was a hybrid language not spoken outside of Spain. Mozarabe was the Spanish Arabic dialect spoken in the frontier regions of contact between the Christian society and the Arab civilization.

I wish to thank Niran M. Salehjee of Pakistan, for the above information on the origin of Arabic words in Urdu.

Thanks also to many teachers and students of Midwood H.S. and many friends for their contributions.

Many of the following derivations have been found in Breve diccionario etimol6gico de la lengua castellana by Joan Corominas, an invaluable reference for any student of Spanish.

Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
acebuche	wild olive tree	zebbug	(from Berber)
el aceite	oil	zeit
la aceituna	olive	zeituna	zeitun
la acequia	drainage ditch	saqiya
el achaque	ailment; complaint	saka	shikayeth(from shikwa) ; also shakayet
el adalid	military commander		do/17
la adehala	something given for dahala		adehla (was a good measure; a tip, coin, a unit of a gratuity currency; used in figurative speech as in "I don't owe an`adehla' to that worthless

la aduana	customs office	diwan	so and so!")
el ajadrez	chess	sitrany (from Sanskrit, catur anga)
el ajonjoli	sesame	gongolil
e! ajuar	dowry; household furniture	suwar
ajuarar	to furnish
la alacena	cupboard; pantry	hazena
el alacran	scorpion	aqrab	aqrab
alambicar	to distill; to scrutinize	anbiq (from Greek, ambix, jmbiko)
el alarde	great display	and
la albahaca	sweet basil	habaqa
el albafl	mason; bricklayer	banns, banns' banni
el alboricoque	apricot	birquq, barquq

Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
la alberca	swimming pool	birka (place to store water)
la albondiga	meatball	bunduqa
la alcachofa	artichoke	harsufa, harsafa
el alcahuete	procurer; pimp	qawwed
el alcalde	mayor	qadi
el alcanfor	camphor	kafur
el alcatraz	pelican	gattas
la alcoba	bedroom	qubba
el alcohol	alcohol	kohol, kuhl	ulkahel

la aldea	village	dei a
el alfajor	filled pastry	hasu, hasw
la alfalfa	alfalfa	fasfasa
el alfeizar	windowsill	fesha (empty space)
el abler	pin, brooch	hilel
la alfombra	carpet, rug	humr a
la algebra	algebra	yebr	algibra
el algodon	cotton	qutn, qoton	kottun
el alguacil	government official	wazir
laalhaja	jewel;fine furniture	haya

Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
el qlmacen	warehouse; department store	mehzan
el almacabro	cemetery	qubristan
el almanaque	calendar; almanac	manah
el almirante	admiral (chief, from `mar, to. order)	`amir
la almohada	pillow from hadd (cheek)	mihadda,
el alquiler	rent	kira'	karaya
la alquimia	alchemy	kimiya'
las alubias	green beans	lubiya'
el cimbar	amber	anbar
arabesco	arabesque	arabo
el arrecife	coral reef (highway)	rasif
la arroba	unit of measure	tuba (the fourth part: `arba = four)
el arroz	rice	ruzz
el asesino	assassin; murderer	hassasi (user of hashish)	aasim (sinner, culprit)

La atalaya	Watchtower	talayi
el ataud	casket	abut
el atun	tuna fish	tin
Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
el auge	summit, apex, (astronomical apogee term from which augery is derived)	`auy
la azafata	(formerly)airline stewardess	safat (basket or utensil for perfumes or tray other objects)
el azafran	saffran	za faran
el azar	chance	zahr (dice)
azofar	brass	sufr
azufre	sulfer (yellow)	asfar
azotar	to whip	saut
la azotea	flat roof	suteih
el azdcar	sugar	sukkar	shakkar
La azucena	lily	susana,	sussena
azul	blue	lazurd (from Persian)	lapis (lazuli)

el azulejo	glazed tile	zuleig
de balde	in vain	bath
el barrio	neighborhood	barr (existing outside the city)
bazar	bazaar	baazaar (from Persian)
la berenjena	eggplant	bedinyena(from Persian)
el buho	owl	Ulloo
Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
el cafe	coffee	qahwa	cai
cande (adj.)	candied	qandi
candil	oil lamp	qandil
el cenit	zenith	semt arra's
el cero	zero	sifr
la cifra	cipher; number	sifr (zero, empty)
el chaleco	vest	jaleco
a chifla	whistle	sifra ( to lower)

I dados	dice	dad (game)
el ebano	ebony	abenus
el escabeche	marinade	iskebey
la espinaca	spinach	'ispinah
Ids fideos	noodles	fad (to grow, as noodles increase their size when cooked; noodles were imported from North Africa in 1382)
el fulano	so and so;	fulan
el gaban	overcoat	qaba'
la gacela	gazelle	gazela
Ids gandules	pigeon peas	gandur (youth of poor families)
Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
las garras	claws	garfa
la gasa	gauze	qazz (silk)	gaz (a yard measurement; from Persian)
la guitarra	guitar	kitara (from Greek)
halagar	to flatter; to treat affectionately	halaq
el haragan	lazy; idler, loafer	harun (animal)

hasta	until	haItta
he He aqui . . used to show a thing or a person)	adverb	he
la jaqueca	headache	saqiqa
e1 jarabe	(cough) syrup	sarab	sharab
la jarra	pitcher	yarra
el jazmin	jasmine	yasamin
el jinete	horseman	zeneti
la jirafa	giraffe	zarafa	zaraffa
el jorobado	hunchbacked	hadubba,	hadaba(hump)
la jota	a Spanish dance	satha
la joya	jewel	jauhar
Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
la laca	laquer	lakk
e1 laud	lute	ud
el limon	lemon	laimun	limu

la lima	lime	lima
loco	crazy	lauqa, Iduq,	alwaq (crazy, foolish)
la marcasita	marcasite	marqasita
el martil	ivory	almalil,	`azm alfil
la maroma	acrobatic stunt	mabruma;	baram (to twist)
la mascara	mask	mashara
la matraca	wooden rattle	matraqa
la mazamorra	a kind of custard	baqsamat
la momia	mummy	mumiya
el nacar	mother of pearl	naqar,	naqor (musical instruments)
el nadir	nadir, opposite of zenith	nazir (opposite)
la naranja	orange	naranya	naron
la nuca	nape of neck	nuha
Spanish	English	Arabic	Urdu
ojala	if God wills	wa sa	Allah llah Keray

el orozuz licorice uruq sus

el papagayo large parrot; babbaga'

macaw

el quilate a unit of weight qirat (from alquilate,

coin)

la rambla dry riverbed; ramla (sandy

avenue ground)

la recamara bedroom camra

el rehen hostage rehen; rahn

el rocho roc (a myth ruh

ological bird

of immense size)

la ronda nightwatch; rubt, rabita

street serenade

la sandia watermelon batiha sindiy

el saten satin zaituni

el tabique cinderblock tasbik

el talco talc talq

la tamara datetree tamra

el tambor drum tabir (from

Persian)

la tanda work shift tanzim (a regulation)