Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1500s
Apricot
from al-barqūq
- Meaning
- The stone fruit *Prunus armeniaca*.
- Source word
- al-barqūq
- Route into English
- Latin *praecox* (early-ripening) → Arabic *al-barqūq* → Spanish *albaricoque* → French *abricot* → English. The word has made a round trip, picking up the Arabic definite article on the way out and losing it on the way back.
- Arrived
- 1500s
From Arabic
Science, trade, and the Mediterranean transit of Andalusian scholarship gave English its Arabic stratum — especially in maths, chemistry, and commerce. Many entered through Latin or Italian.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.