7 ms·
And algebra and alchemy (chemistry) and the list goes on. We have a lot to thank the Arabic world for.
by madaxe 14y ago
And algebra and alchemy (chemistry) and the list goes on.
We have a lot to thank the Arabic world for.
- knv 14y agoAnd alcohol of course.
- contingencies 14y agoBut surely you jest! Of course, you allude to hashish and opium.
- shn 14y agoAnd for the modern day drug sold at every corner a.k.a. coffee
- madaxe 14y agoWhich contains the alkaloid, caffeine!
- madaxe 14y agoThe word, yes, but the etymology is more related to the idea of alcohol being an 'essence' of something.
- eli_gottlieb 14y agoActually, al-cohol roughly means "the blue", referring to the blue tint of many alcohol-based make-ups used in the Near East in ancient and medieval times.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- saljam 14y agoWhile on the subject of words with Arabic etymological roots, my personal favourite is Betelgeuse. The Arabic name of the star is يد الجوزاء (yad al-Jauzā) which means "the hand of the Jauzā". But after a few medieval translation it got morphed into it's current name. Which, unfortunately, ended up sounding like, and often back translated as, ابط الجوزاء -- literally "the armpit of the Jauzā"!