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'; abbé : from Aramaic ܐܒܐ abba 'father'
; abbot : from Aramaic ܐܒܐ abba 'father'
; abracadabra : disputed + probably Balkan + probably from Aramaic אבדא כדברא abhadda kedhabhra 'disappear as this word'
; adonis : from Phoenician ???? adon 'lord'
; aloe : from ancient Greek ἀλόη aloe 'dried juice'. Likely from a Semitic source. See Hebrew אהלים ahalim 'trees of lign', perhaps in turn from Dravidian
; alphabet : The ancient Greek word represents the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. The Greeks got their alphabet from a Semitic source. Compare Hebrew אלוף alef 'ox', 'leader' + from Canaanite alp 'ox' + from Hebrew בית bet 'house', probably from Phoenician + from Canaanite bet 'house'
; apron : from Latin mappa 'cloth', probably from Hebrew menafa 'fluttering banner' + perhaps from Carthaginian
; arbiter : from Latin arbitr-, arbiter 'judge', from Phoenician
; babel : from Hebrew בלל balal 'confound' + in part from Akkadian ?? ?? bab-ilu 'gate of God'
; balm : from Greek βάλσαμον balsamon, probably of Semitic origin, similar to Hebrew basham 'aromatic substance'
; balsam : from Greek βάλσαμον balsamon, probably of Semitic origin, similar to Hebrew basham 'aromatic substance'
; bdellium : from Greek βδέλλιον bdellion, from Hebrew בְּדֹלַח bedolach 'pieces' + from Assyrian ???? budulḥu
; byssus : from Greek bussos, perhaps from בוץ buts 'linen cloth', from Semitic *b-w-tz 'to be white'
; birr : from Arabic بير birr '100 cents', probably from Amharic
; camel : from Greek κάμηλος kamelos. 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, of Semitic origin. See Hebrew קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' + Assyrian qanu, similar to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed'
; chemise: from Latin camisia, itself from proto-Celtic. Ugaritic has qms 'garment'. 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.
; cinnamon : from Greek κιννάμωμον kinnamomon, of Semitic origin, similar to Hebrew קִנָּמוֹן qinnamon 'aromatic inner bark'
; cumin : from Greek κύμινον kyminon, perhaps from Hebrew כמון kammon 'umbel', similar to Akkadian kamunu 'carrot family plant'
; deltoid : from Greek delta, perhaps from Hebrew דלת daleth 'door', similar to Phoenician dalt 'door'
; earnest : from Hebrew ערב arav 'pledge' + from Canaanite irrabon 'pledge', 'surety'
; fig : from Latin ficus, possibly from Phoenician or Paleo-Hebrew ?? "pag", as found in
; hyssop : from Greek ὕσσωπος hyssopos, of Semitic origin. Compare Hebrew אזוב ezobh 'mint herb'
; iotacism : from Greek Ιώτα iota, a letter from Phoenician. Compare Hebrew יד yodh 'hand'.
; 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 Greek Μαγδαλα 'Magdala' , perhaps from Hebrew גדל gadal 'large' and Aramaic Magdela 'Magdala'
; map : from Latin mappa 'cloth'. Said by Quintilian to be a word of Punic origin. Compare Talmudic Hebrew menafa 'fluttering banner'.
; mat : from Greek ματτα matta, of Semitic origin, perhaps from Phoenician ????? matta, similar to Hebrew מטה mitta 'bed', 'couch'
; myrrh : English is from classical Latin myrrha which is from ancient Greek murra which is from a Semitic source; see Aramaic murr, Akkadian murru, Hebrew mōr, Arabic mur, all meaning myrrh.
; messiah : from Hebrew משיח mashiah 'anointed' + in part from Aramaic meshiha 'anointed'
; napkin : from Latin mappa 'cloth', probably from Hebrew menafa 'fluttering banner' + perhaps from Carthaginian
; pharisee : from Aramaic perisha 'separated', from פרש Hebrew parash 'separate', 'cleave'
;, : from ancient Greek σάκκος sakkos. Of Semitic origin ; see Hebrew שק saq 'bag', 'sackcloth', from Phoenician, similar to Akkadian saqqu
; sapphire : from Latin sapphirus and Greek sappheiros, from a Semitic source. See Hebrew ספיר sappir 'precious stone'. The word is perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit शनिप्रिय sanipriya 'sacred to Sani'
; schwa : from Hebrew שוא schewa 'unstressed mid-central vowel', probably from Syriac ܥܗܘܐܝܝܐ sewayya 'equal'
; shekel : from Hebrew שקל saqal 'weight', from Canaanite tql
; souk : from Arabic سوق suq 'market', from Aramaic שוקא suqa 'street', 'market', from Akkadian ?? saqu 'narrow'
; sycamore : Ancient Greek συκόμορος sykomoros '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'.
Letter names
; alpha : from Greek Άλφα alpha, perhaps from Phoenician alef 'ox', 'leader', from Canaanite ??? 'alp 'ox'; beta : from Greek Βήτα beta, from Phoenician + from Canaanite ??? bet 'house'
; gamma : from Greek Γάμμα gamma, perhaps from Phoenician גימ"ל gimel '
; delta : from Greek Δέλτα delta, perhaps from Hebrew דל"ת daleth 'door' + of Semitic origin, similar to Phoenician ???? dalt 'door'
; zeta : from Greek ζήτα zeta, from Phoenician, similar to Aramaic ܙܝܢܐ zayin, Hebrew זי"ן zayin 'weapon'
; eta : from Greek Ήτα eta, perhaps from Hebrew chet חי"ת 'terror' + from Phoenician ??
; theta : from Greek Θήτα theta, from Phoenician ???, similar to Hebrew טי"ת tet 'snake'
; iota : from Greek Ιώτα iota, perhaps from Hebrew יו"ד yodh 'hand' + from Phoenician ???
; kappa : from Greek Κάππα kappa, perhaps from Hebrew כ"ף kaph 'palm of the hand' + from Phoenician ???
; lambda : from Greek Λάμβδα lambda, perhaps from Hebrew למ"ד lamedh 'whip', 'club' + from Phoenician ????
; mu : from Greek Μυ mu, from Phoenician, similar to Hebrew מ"ם mem 'water'
; nu : from Greek Νυ nu, perhaps from Hebrew נו"ן nun 'fish' + of Semitic origin
; pi : from Greek Πι pi, perhaps from Hebrew פ"א pe 'mouth' + from Phoenician ??
; rho : from Greek Ρω rho, perhaps from Hebrew רי"ש rosh 'head' + from Phoenician ???
; sigma : from Greek Σίγμα sigma, from Phoenician, similar to Hebrew סמ"ך samek 'prop'
; tau : from Greek Ταυ tau, perhaps from Hebrew ת"ו taw 'mark', 'cross' + from Phoenician ???
; izzard : probably from French et zede 'and Z', in part from Greek ζήτα zeta, from Phoenician, similar to Aramaic ܙܝܢܐ zayin, Hebrew זי"ן zayin 'weapon'
; zed : from Greek ζήτα zeta, from Phoenician, similar to Aramaic ܙܝܢܐ zayin, Hebrew זי"ן zayin 'weapon'