Arabic-origin words in Ibero-Romance languages

Arabic Words in Spanish Compared to other Ibero-Romance Languages

Compare how Arabic-origin words like oil, olive, customs, mayor, turmeric, watermelon, carrot, juice and more appear in Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Asturian, Catalan and Llanito, alongside their Arabic etyma. Toggle columns, filter by any form, switch between table and cards, or focus on just two languages side by side.

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Use the search box to find an English keyword, Arabic etymon or Ibero-Romance form quickly. Keep all columns visible, hide columns you do not need, or use two-column comparison for focused study.

ع What this page compares

This page compares Arabic-origin words in Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Asturian, Catalan and Llanito, with the English meaning and Arabic etymon included for reference.

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30 Arabic-origin words in Spanish and other Ibero-Romance languages

English	Arabic etymon	Spanish	Portuguese	Galician	Asturian	Catalan	Llanito
oil	الزيت	aceite	óleo	aceite	aceite	oli	aseite
olive	الزيتونة	aceituna	azeitona	oliva	aceituna	oliva	(a)situna
chard	السلقة‎	acelga	acelga	acelga	acelga	bleda	aserga
customs	الديوان	aduana	alfândega	alfándega	aduana	duana	kàstomz
meatball	البندقة‎	albóndiga	almôndega	albóndega	albóndiga	mandonguilla	armòndiga
mayor	القاضي‎	alcalde	prefeito	alcalde	alcalde	alcalde	meia / arkarde
syrup	الميبة‎	almíbar	melado	almibre	almibre	almívar	armiva
pillow	المخدة‎	almohada	almofada	almofada	almuhada	coixí	armwada
rent	الكراء‎	alquiler	aluguer	aluguer	alquiler	lloguer	rent / arkilè
neighbourhood	بري	barrio	bairo	barrio	barrio	barri	esteit
acorn	بلوطة‎	bellota	bolota	landra	abeyota	gla	eikon / vellota
turmeric	كركم‎	cúrcuma	cúcuma	cúrcuma	cúrcuma	cúrcuma	tèmerik
dock	دار الصناعة‎	dársena	doca	dársena	dársena	dàrsena	arsenà / dokia
spinach	إسفاناخ	espinaca	espinafre	espinaca	espinaca	espinac	spìnij / pinaka
so-and-so	فلان	fulano	algúem	fulano	fulanu	en tal	kiensea / fulano
lazy	غندور	gandul	preguiçoso	preguizoso	bimbu	gandul	gandù
until	حتى	hasta	até	ata	hasta	fins a	âta
syrup	شراب	jarabe	xarope	xarope	xarabe	xarop	harave / siro
migraine	شقيقة	jaqueca	enxaqueca	xaqueca	xaqueca	migranya	hakeka / maigrein
crazy	لاق‎	loco	louco	louco	llocu	boig	loko
ivory	عظم الفيل	marfil	marfim	marfil	marfil	marfil	àivori
good willing	لو شاء اللّه‎	ojalá	oxalá	oxalá	oxalá	tant de bo	aholà
hostage	رهين	rehén	refém	refén	rehén	hostatge	hòstij
corner	ركن	rincón	canto	canto	rincón	racó	rinkòn
watermelon	سندية	sandía	melancia	sandía	sandía	síndria	sandìa
task	طريحة	tarea	tarefa	tarefa	xera	feina	task / travaho
cup	طاسة	taza	copo	taza	taza	tassa	tasa
moss	بردي	verdín	musgo	musgo	verdín	molse	verdìn
carrot	إسفنارية	zanahoria	cenoura	cenoria	cenahoria	pastanaga	sanahoria
juice	زوم	zumo	sumo	zume	zume	suc	sumo

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✧ Patterns to notice

Spanish al-/a- forms Spanish often preserves Arabic-looking forms with initial a- or al-, such as aceite, aceituna, aduana, albóndiga, alcalde and almohada.

Portuguese variation Portuguese sometimes keeps a related Arabic-derived form, as in azeitona and almôndega, but sometimes uses a different word, such as óleo or prefeito.

Catalan contrasts Catalan often differs from Spanish in this set: oli, bleda, coixí, lloguer, gla, feina and suc stand apart from nearby Ibero-Romance forms.

Llanito mixture Llanito shows a mixture of Spanish-looking forms, English-looking forms and local spellings, including aseite, armòndiga, kàstomz and task / travaho.

◎ Quick facts

30 word rowsEach Arabic-origin word is compared across eight columns.

8 columnsEnglish, Arabic etymon, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Asturian, Catalan and Llanito.

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? Arabic words in Ibero-Romance languages FAQ

What does this page compare?

It compares Arabic-origin words in Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Asturian, Catalan and Llanito, alongside the English meaning and Arabic etymon.

Which languages are included?

The table includes English, Arabic etymon, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Asturian, Catalan and Llanito.

Why are Arabic-origin words important in Spanish?

Arabic has had a major historical influence on Spanish vocabulary, especially in everyday words, food terms, place-related words and administrative vocabulary.

How should I use this comparison?

Start with the full table, then use the language pills or the two-column comparison tool to focus on the languages you want to compare more closely.