English Words of Arabic Origin (borrowed indirectly)
(Please see Al-Fallouji’s PARADISE DICTIONARY)
From the Hindi (Indian) came:
“ayah, from Arabic sign of beauty and mercy” (nurse or maid),
“kismet from Arabic qismah and Turkish qismet” (fate or destiny),
“nabob, nawab from Arabic nawwab, plural of na’ib, deputy” (a Muslim prince in India),
“pyjama from Arabic manama, loose trousers tied round the waist worn by Muslims to cover their ‘awra’ or private parts (a sleeping-suit in European use),
“sahib” (respectable friend or Sir),
“salaam” (greeting),
“koran” (holy book of Muslims),
“mogul” (name of a great Indian imperial dynasty),
“mohammedan” (a follower of prohphet Mohammed, a Muslim),
“muslims” (followers of Islam),
“sepoy from persian sipahi” (Indian soldier in European service),
“shah” (king), and
“thugee or thugs from Arabic shagee” (thugs).
From the Persian came:
“barbican, babul khan” (watch-tower over the gate of a fortress),
“baksheesh or bakshish” (a tip),
“bazaar or bazar” (market),
“checkmate or shah mat” (king is dead),
“chess” (a game played by shah),
“khaki” (dust-coloured cloth used in military uniforms),
“purdah” (the veil worn by Muslim woman, or a curtain for seclusion of women), and
“shah” (king).
From the Turkish came:
“angora” (a goat with long white hair found in Ankara),
“bey or beg” (governor),
“begum” (Muslim princess, feminine of bey),
“bosh” (nonsense),
“kebab” (kabab),
“khan” (prince),
“khedive ” (viceroy), and
“yogurt” (yoghurt).
