List of English words of Semitic origin
This is a list of English words of Semitic origin other than those solely of [List of English language|English words of Arabic origin|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 the Phoenician/Canaanite one. Compare Canaanite aleph 'ox' + from Phoenician/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 בבל 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, cannella, 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 (money) : from Hebrew ערב arav 'pledge' + from Canaanite irrabon 'pledge', 'surety'
; fig : from Latin ficus, possibly from Phoenician or Paleo-Hebrew ?? "pag", as found in
; goat : from proto-Germanic *gaits,
cognate with Latin haedus 'kid', likely of Semitic origin. Compare Hebrew גדי ”gdi” 'kid'.
; 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 murra, 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'
; sac, sack : from ancient Greek σάκκος sakkos. Of Semitic origin ; see Hebrew שק saq 'bag', 'sackcloth', from Phoenician, Aramaic/Syriac ܣܩܐ saqqa, 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 ܫܘܝܐ shewayya 'equal'
; shekel : from Hebrew שקל saqal 'weight', from Canaanite tql
; souk : from Arabic سوق suq 'market', from Aramaic ܫܘܩܐ/שוקא šuqa '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'