Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1580s
Gazelle
from ghazāl
- Meaning
- A small swift antelope of Africa and Asia.
- Source word
- ghazāl
- Route into English
- Arabic *ghazāl* → Old French *gazel* → English by the 16th century. The word entered European languages through Spanish and Italian, a souvenir of desert travel writing.
- Arrived
- 1580s
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.