Word Wise - 3

Some English words which have their Origin in Arabic

1. Checkmate - From 'Shah' + 'Mat' meaning 'The King is dead'

2. Alcohol - From Al - Kuhl meaning Essence. Its also said that Arabic chemists came to use al-kuhl to mean “any fine powder produced in a number of ways, including the process of heating a substance to a gaseous state and then recooling it.” Some say that the word has a Chinese Origin.

3. Admiral - From 'Amir - a - Ali' meaning 'Commander of the Sea'.

4. Gibraltar - From Jabal Tariq, the "mountain of Tariq" after the general who led the Muslim conquest of Spain.