Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1300s
Lute
from al-ʿūd
- Meaning
- A plucked string instrument with a rounded back.
- Source word
- al-ʿūd
- Route into English
- Arabic *al-ʿūd* (the wood) → Old Provençal *laüt* → Old French *lut* → English. The instrument itself travelled with the word from Moorish Spain; European lutes are direct descendants of the Arab oud.
- Arrived
- 1300s
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.