Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1360s
Satin
from zaytūn
- Meaning
- A glossy smooth-woven fabric.
- Source word
- zaytūn
- Route into English
- Arabic *zaytūnī* (from the port city Zaytun, today Quanzhou in China) → French *satin* → English. The name tracks the medieval silk trade backward to its Chinese origin.
- Arrived
- 1360s
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.