Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1620s
Sofa
from ṣuffa — "stone bench"
- Meaning
- A raised platform for sitting, often carpeted.
- Source word
- ṣuffa — "stone bench"
- Route into English
- Arabic → Turkish → French *sofa* → English. The upholstered furniture came later; the word's journey pre-dates the cushions.
- Arrived
- 1620s
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.