After a second hyphen I give (if possible) the further derivation (Greek, Persian, etc.), or the verbal root (glossed as an infinitive; but the citation form of Arabic roots is actually the 3sg past).

Some words are borrowed directly from Arabic; but most of these words have taken the scenic route, through Spanish, Italian, and/or French; or through Turkish, Persian, or Urdu; or through Hebrew or Latin. This produces a good deal of phonological deformation; as does the dialect variation within Arabic.

The transliteration is an adaptation to html, while we're waiting for the Unicode revolution... the bolding and commas represent emphatic consonants; h' and ` are the pharyngeal approximants; ' is the glottal stop; : represents length.

--M.R.

admiral - ami:r-al-bahr 'ruler of the seas' (and other similar expressions) - amara command

adobe - al-toba 'the brick'

albacore - al-bukr 'the young camel'

alchemy - al-ki:mi:a: - from Greek

alcohol - al-koh''l 'the kohl'

alcove - al-qobbah 'vault' - qubba vault

alembic - al-ambi:q 'the still' - from Greek

alfalfa - alfas,fas,ah 'fodder'

algebra - al-jebr 'reintegration' - jabara reunite

Algol - al-ghu:l 'the ghoul'

algorithm - al-Khowarazmi 'the (man) of Khiva'

alkali - al-qaliy 'calx' - qalay fry, roast

Allah - `allah, from contraction of al-ilah 'the god'

Almagest - al-majisti - from Greek

almanac - (Andalucian Arabic) al-mana:kh, of uncertain origin

amber - `anbar 'ambergris'

antimony - al-íthmid 'antimony trisulphide' - perhaps from Greek

apricot - al-burquq - from Greek

Arab - `arab

arsenal - dar as,s,ina`ah 'house of making', i.e. 'factory' - s,ana`a make

artichoke - al-kharshu:f

assagai - az-zaghayah - from Berber

assassin - h'ashsha:shi:n 'hashish eaters', from the Isma`ili sectarians

attar - `itr 'aroma'

ayatollah - 'ayatu-llah 'miraculous sign of God'

azimuth - as-sumut 'the paths'; see also zenith

azure - al-lazward 'lapis lazuli' - from Persian

barbican - (possibly) bâb-al-baqara 'gate with holes'

berdache - (possibly) bardaj 'slave'

Betelgeuse - bi:t al-jauza:' 'shoulder of the Giant'

bezoar - bazahr - from Persian

bint - bint 'daughter

bled - balad 'vast open country'

borax - bu:raq - from Persian

burka - burqa`

burnouse - burnus

caliber - qali:b 'mold, last' -

calico - Qaliqu:t 'Calicut', city in India

caliph - khali:fah 'successor' - khalafa 'succeed'

camise - qami:s 'shirt' - from Latin

camphor - ka:fu:r - from Malay

candy - short for 'sugar candy', from sugar + qandi 'candied', from qand 'cane sugar' - from a Dravidian language

carat - qi:ra:t 'small weight' - from Greek

caraway - alkarawya: - probably from Greek

carafe - gharra:f - gharafa 'dip'

carmine - qirmazi: 'crimson'

carob - kharrubah

cassock - kaza:ghand 'padded jacket' - from Persian

check - sha:h 'king' - from Persian

checkmate - sha:h ma:t 'the king is dead'

chemistry - see alchemy

chess - from Old French eschecs, plural of check

cipher - s,ifr 'empty'

civet - zaba:d

coffee - qahwah

Copt - quft - from Greek

cork - qu:rq

cotton - qutn

couscous - kuskus - kaskasa pound, bruise

crimson - qirmazi:, related to the qirmiz, the insect that provided the dye

Deneb - danab al-jaja:ja 'tail of the hen'

dhow - da:w

dinar - di:na:r - from Greek

dirham - dirham - from Greek

dragoman - tarjuma:n - tarjama interpret

drub - daraba 'beat'

dura mater - Latin calque on umm al-ghali:dah 'hard mother'

efreet - 'ifri:t 'monster'

El Cid - al-Sayyid 'the lord'

elixir - al-iksi:r 'philosopher's stone' - from Greek

emir - ami:r - amara command

fakir - faqi:r 'poor man' - faqura be poor

fardel - fardah 'load'

Farsi - Fa:rs 'Pars', a province of Iran - from Persian

fatwa - fetwa - fata: instruct by a legal decision

fedayeen - fida:'iyi:n 'commandos' - fida:` redemption

felafel - fala:fil

fellah - fella:h' 'husbandman' - falah'a till

felucca - fulk 'ship' - falaka be round

Fomalhaut - fum u'l-haut 'mouth of the fish'

garble - gharbala 'sift' - perhaps from Latin

gazelle - ghaza:l

genie - jinni: 'spirit'

gerbil - yarbu:`

ghoul - ghu:l 'demon' - gha:la take suddenly

giraffe - zara:fa

hadith - h'adi:t 'tradition'

haj - h'ajj 'pilgrimage' - h'ajja go on a pilgrimage

halal - h'ala:l 'lawful'

halvah - h'alwa:

harem - h'aram 'prohibited, set apart' - h'arama prohibit

hashish - h'ashi:sh 'dried herbs, hemp'

hazard - yásara 'play at dice'

hegira - hijrah 'departure' - hajara separate, go

henna - h'enna:`

Hezbollah - H'izbulla:h 'party of God'

hookah - h'uqqah 'water bottle (through which smoke is drawn)'

houri - h'u:r al-`ayu:n 'with eyes like gazelles' - h'awura have eyes like gazelles

imam - ima:m 'leader' - amma precede

Islam - isla:m 'submission' - aslama submit oneself

jar - jarrah 'large earthen vase'

jasmine - ya:smi:n - from Persian

jinn - jinn 'spirits', plural of genie

julep - jula:b 'rose water' - from Persian

Kaaba - ka`bah 'square house'

kabob - kaba:b - from Persian

kaffir - ka:fir 'infidel' - kafara conceal, deny

keffiyeh - kaffi:yah

khamsin - khamsi:n 'fifty (days)'

kismet - qisma 'portion, lot' - qasama divide

kohl - koh''l 'kohl' - kah'ala stain, paint

Koran - qura:n 'recitation' - qara`a read

lilac - li:la:k - from Persian

lemon - laymu:n - from Persian

lime - li:mah 'citrus fruit'

loofah - lu:fah a plant whose pods were used as sponges

lute - al-`u:d

macramé - miqramah 'striped cloth'

magazine - makha:zin 'storehouses' - khazana store

Mahdi - mahdi:y 'one who is guided aright' - hada: lead

majlis - majlis 'council'

mancala - mank.ala - nak.ala move

marzipan - mawthaba:n 'coin featuring a seated figure'

mask - perhaps maskhara 'buffoon' - sakhira ridicule

mattress - matrah 'place where something is thrown, mat, cushion' - tarah'a throw

minaret - mana:rah - na:r fire

mohair - mukhayyar 'choice (goats'-hair cloth)' - khayyara select

monsoon - mausim 'season' - wasama mark

mosque - masgid - sagada worship

Mozarabic - musta`rib 'would-be Arab'

muezzin - mu'adhdhin 'criers' - adhana proclaim

mufti - mufti: 'one who gives a fatwa'

mujahedeen - muja:hidi:n 'figher in a jihad'

mullah - mawla: 'master'

mummy - mu:miya: 'embalmed body' - mu:m '(embalming) wax'

Muslim - muslim 'submitter' - aslama submit oneself

muslin - Maus,il 'Mosul'

nadir - nadi:r as-samt 'opposite the zenith'

natron - natru:n - from Greek

nizam - nidam 'government'

orange - na:ranj - from Sanskrit

ottoman - `uthma:n, a proper name

pia mater - Latin calque on umm raqi:qah 'tender mother'

popinjay - babagha:

Primum Mobile - Latin calque on al-muh' arrik al-awwal 'the first mover'

racket - râh'et 'palm of the hand' Ramadan - Ramada:n meaning perhaps 'the hot month' - ramata be heated

realgar - rehj al-gha:r 'powder of the cave'

ream - rizmah 'bundle'

rebec - reba:b

Rigel - rijl 'foot (of Orion)'

roc - rukh

rook - rukh - from Persian

Rubaiyyat - ruba:`i:yah 'quatrain'

safari - safari:y 'journey' - safara travel

saffron - za`fara:n

Sahara - çah'ra: 'desert'

sahib - ça:h'ib 'friend'

salaam - as-sala:m `alaikum 'peace be on you'

saluki - salu:k.i: 'from Saluk'

Saracen - sharqi:yi:n 'easterners' - sha:raqa rise

sash - sha:sh 'muslin'

satin - probably zaytu:ni: 'of Zaytu:n' (a city in China)

scarlet - siqilla:t '(cloth) adorned with images' - from Latin

sequin - sikkah 'die for coinmaking'

Sharia - shari:`a

sheikh - shaikh 'old man' - sha:kha grow old

sherbet - sharbah - shariba drink

Shiite - shiya`i:y, from shiya:` 'following, sect' - sha`a follow

shrub [drink] - shurb 'a drink' - shariba drink

sine - Latin sinus, mistranslation of jayb 'chord of an arc, sine', through confusion with jayb 'fold of a garment'

sirocco - sharq 'east (wind)' - sha:raqa rise

sofa - s,uffah 'raised dais with cushions'

souk - su:k. 'marketplace'

spinach - isfa:na:kh

Sufi - çu:fi: 'man of wool'

sugar - sukkar - from Sanskrit

sultan - sulta:n 'sovereign'

sumac - summa:q

Sunni - sunni: 'lawful', from sunna:h 'rule, course'

sura - su:rah

syrup - shara:b 'beverage' - shariba drink

tabbouleh - tabbu:la

tabby - `atta:biy, a neighborhood in Baghdad where taffeta was made

tahini - - tah'ana crush

Taliban - talib 'student' - talaba study

talisman - tilsam - from Greek

tamarind - tamr-hindi: 'date of India'

tambourine - a small tambour, from tanbu:r - from Persian

tandoori - tannu:r 'oven'

tarboosh - tarbu:sh

tare [weight] - tarh'ah 'rejected' - tarah'a reject

tariff - ta`ri:f 'notification' - `arafa notify

tarragon - tarkhu:n - possibly from Greek

tell [mound] - tall 'hillock'

ujamaa - jama:` 'community'

ulema - `ulima: 'the learned ones' - `alama know

Vega - al-nasr al-wa:qi` 'the falling vulture'

vizier - wazi:r 'porter, public servant' - wazara carry

wadi - wa:di:

Waqf - waqf 'religious foundation'

wisdom tooth - from a Latin calque on adra:su 'l h'ikmi - calqued from Greek

zenith - samt 'path'

zero - s,ifr 'empty'