The English language has absorbed all manner of Arabic words over the centuries. Surprising entries include the word ‘jar,’ and ‘serendipity,’ adapted from the Arabic language and now used with no ...

If you look too closely, some English vocabulary just ceases to be logical. You use fanfare all your life, for instance, and then you stop and think: Wait—what does fan have to do with fare? Is that ...

I could hear my mother giggling from the living room. “It is when you’re an Arab in America, Mama.” I may have been 12 or 13 years old when this conversation took place, even though my skilful word ...

Does inshallah serve as a polite Arabic form of “not possible”? And is habibi an appropriate term of friendly affection? The beauty of the Arabic language is that it is so dynamic it can shapeshift in ...

April 2007With the business universe becoming a common ground for the English and Arabic speaking worlds, Sara Kilani looks at the impact of Arabish as a rising language barrier. Afew years ago, HSBC ...

Some rumors are too hazy to be believed. For years, claims have connected the root of the word "alcohol" to an Arabic term that purportedly means "body-eating spirit." Many of these claims miss the ...

Since terrorism and Iraq began to dominate our coverage, The Atlantic has crammed many Arabic names and phrases into our text, and some have not gone gently. The simplest cases demand fussiness and ...

“To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is 'tariff'. And it’s my favourite word.” That’s what Donald Trump said ahead of the US presidential election, months before shaking global markets by ...