K[edit]
- Kermes (insect genus), kermes (dye), kermes oak (tree), kermesite (mineral)
- قرمز qirmiz, dye from kermes-type scale insects including (but not limited to) today's Kermes insects. The bodies of several scale insect species produce a red dye that in medieval times was commercially valuable for dyeing textiles. Several medieval Arabic dictionaries say al-qirmiz is an "Armenian red dye".[2]The word was in use in Arabic for centuries before it started to be used in the West, and was adopted in the West in the 13th century with the same meaning as the Arabic.[3][4] In the West in the later 16th century the meaning began to be narrowed to today's Kermes species. [1]
- khat
- قات qāt, the plant Catha edulis and the stimulant obtained from it. Khat was borrowed directly from Arabic qāt in the mid 19th century. The technical botany name Catha was borrowed from the same Arabic in the mid 18th century (botanist was Peter Forskal). The technical chemistry names cathine andcathinone are 20th century from Catha. [2]
- kohl (cosmetics)
- كحل kohl, finely powdered galena, stibnite, and similar sooty-colored powder used for eye-shadow, eye-liner, and mascara. The word with that meaning was in travellers' reports in English for centuries before it was adopted natively in English.[5] [3]
L[edit]
- lacquer
- لكّ lakk, lac, or any resin used for varnishing. The Arabic came from the Sanskrit lākh = "lac", a particular kind of resin, native in India, used to make a varnish and also used as a red dye. The Arabic entered later-medieval Latin as lacca | laca.[6] [4]. Two lesser-seen varnishing resins with Arabic word-descent are sandarac[7] and elemi.[8] [5]
- lazurite (mineral)
- See azure. [6]
- lemon
- ليمون līmūn, lemon. The cultivation of lemons, limes, and bitter oranges was introduced to the Mediterranean region by the Arabs in the mid-medieval era. The ancient Greeks & Romans knew the citron, but not the lemon, lime, or orange.[9] Ibn al-'Awwam in the late 12th century distinguished ten kinds of citrus fruits grown in Andalusia and spelled the lemon as اللامون al-lāmūn. Abdallatif al-Baghdadi (died 1231) distinguished almost as many different citrus fruits in Egypt and spelled the lemon as الليمون al-līmūn.[10] The Arabic word came from Persian.[11] The lemon tree's native origin appears to be in India.[9] [7]
- lime (fruit)
- ليم līm, any citrus fruit,[10] a back-formation or a collective noun associated with ليمون līmūn; see lemon. Spanish, Portuguese & Italian lima = "lime (fruit)".[8]. Today's English "lime" has become a color-name as well as a fruit. The color-name originated by reference to the fruit. It can be noted in passing that all the following English color-names are descended from Arabic words (not necessarily Arabic color-words): amber (color), apricot (color), aubergine (color),azure (color), coffee (color), crimson (color), carmine (color), henna (color), lemon (color), lime (color), orange (color), saffron (color), scarlet (color),tangerine (color).