Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1570s
Tambourine
from ṭanbūr
- Meaning
- A small frame drum with metal jingles around the rim.
- Source word
- ṭanbūr
- Route into English
- Arabic *ṭanbūr* (long-necked lute) → Old French *tambour* (drum) → English diminutive *tambourine*. The instrument changed but the root name for percussion carried across.
- Arrived
- 1570s
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.
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