Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| aba abaya | a tightly-woven camel-hair fabric or tunic, worn by Arabs. |
| abutilon | a plant of the mallow family. [Arabic aubutilun]. |
| adobe | an unburnt brick dried in the sun. |
| afreet afrit | in Arabian mythology, an evil spirit or giant monster. |
| albacore albicore | a kind of fish, like a tunny. [Arabic al buhr, the young camel]. |
| alcahest alkahest | the universal solvent sought by alchemists. |
| alcarraza | a vessel of porous earthenware, used for cooling liquids by evaporation from the exterior surface. |
| alcatras | a kind of large water bird. [Arabic 'the diver']. |
| alcazar | a fortress; also, a royal palace. [Arabic al-kasr, the castle]. |
| alcove | a vaulted or arched recess in a room-wall, formerly esp. one for a bed. [Arabic al-kubba, the vault]. |
| alembic limbec limbeck | an ancient distilling apparatus. |
| alepine | mixed wool and silk or mohair and cotton fabric. [Arabic 'from Aleppo']. |
| alfa halfa | a N. African esparto grass. |
| alfaki alfaqui alfaquin | a Muslim expounder of the law. |
| alfalfa | a kind of cereal grass. [Arabic 'green fodder']. |
| alferez | a standard-bearer. [Arabic 'one skilled in fighting on horseback']. |
| alforja | a saddlebag. [Arabic al-kurj, the saddlebag]. |
| algaroba algarroba algarrobo | the carob, a leguminous tree of the Mediterranean region; also, its edible beans or pods. |
| algorism algorithm | the art of calculating, especially in Arabic numeration; arithmetic. |
| alguacil alguazil | an inferior officer of justice in Spain. |
| alidad alidade | a revolving index on astrolabe or other instrument for reading gradations. |
| alif | an Arabic letter, corresponding to Greek ALEPH. |
| alizarin alizarine | a coloring principle found in madder, and now produced artificially from anthracene. |
| alkanet | a wild flower; a reddish plant-based dye obtained from this. |
| alma almah alme almeh | an Egyptian dancing-girl. |
| almacantar almucantar | a circle of altitude, parallel to the horizon. |
| almagest | a textbook or handbook, especially dealing with astronomy. |
| aludel | a pear-shaped earthenware or glass pot, open at both ends so that a series could be fitted one above another, formerly used in sublimation. |
| ameer amir emir emeer | an Eastern ruler. |
| ameerate amirate emirate emeerate | the office of AMEER, an Eastern ruler. |
| anil | indigo, the plant or dye. |
| ankh | an Egyptian symbol of life, resembling a looped cross. It was later adapted by Coptic Christians as their cross. |
| araba arba aroba | a heavy screened wagon used by Tatars and others. |
| arak arrack | a spirit made from TODDY. |
| ardeb | an Egyptian dry measure. |
| argan | a Moroccan timber-tree; its oil-bearing seed. |
| ariel | a kind of mountain gazelle native to Arabia. |
| armozeen armozine | a thick plain silk, generally black, and used for clerical. |
| askari | an E. African soldier or policeman. |
| assagai assegaai assegai | a slender spear of hard wood tipped with iron; (verb) to kill or stab with this. |
| athanor | an alchemist's self-feeding digesting furnace. [Arabic at-tannur, the baker's oven]. |
| ayatollah | an Iranian religious leader. |
| azan adhan | the Muslim call to prayer, made five times a day by a MUEZZIN. |
| azimuth | the angle a celestial object makes from due north, when measured in an eastwards direction along the horizon. |
| azoth | an alchemist's name for mercury. [Arabic az-zaug, quicksilver]. |
| baiza baisa | a monetary unit of Oman. [Arabic from Hindi paisa]. |
| basan | a sheepskin roughly tanned and undressed. [Ar. bitanah, lining]. |
| bayyan | an official declaration |
| beenah | a form of marriage in Sri Lanka, in which the man goes to live with his wife's relatives. [Arabic binah, separate]. |
| benj | cannabis, Indian hemp, used as a weak narcotic. |
| bismillah | in the name of Allah. |
| bonduc | the seed of the nicker, a tropical leguminous tree. [Arabic bonduq]. |
| brik | a Tunisian deep-fried pastry |
| bulbul | an Indian bird. |
| burnoose burnous burnouse | a cape with a hood worn by Arabs. |
| cabob kabab kabob kebab kebob | small pieces of cooked meat on a skewer; (verb) to cook like this. |
| cadi kadi qadi | a civil judge in a Muslim country. [Arabic qadi, a judge]. |
| caffila cafila kafila | a caravan, caravan-train. [Arabic qafilah]. |
| caid kaid qaid | a Muslim leader. |
| calif caliph kalif kaliph | an Eastern ruler. [Arabic khalifah, successor]. |
| califate caliphate khalifat khilafat | the office, dignity, or government of a caliph or of the caliphs. |
| camese camise camisa camisia | a loose shirt or tunic, as worn by Arabs. |
| cantar kantar | an Arab unit of weight. |
| carob | the sweet-flavoured seed of an evergreen tree, also called locust bean. [Arabic kharrubah]. Cf. ALGARROBA. |
| casbah kasbah | a castle or fortress in a North African town. |
| ceterach | a kind of fern. [ML. ceterach, from Arabic shitarakh]. |
| chermoula | a marinade containing onion, coriander, and parsley, used in N. African cookery. |
| chott shott | a shallow saline lake of northern Africa; the dried bed of such a lake. [Arabic satt shore, strand]. |
| coffle | a gang of slaves tied together; (verb) to chain slaves together. [Arabic qafilah]. |
| colcothar | polishing rouge; a reddish brown oxide of iron, used in polishing glass, and also as a pigment. [Arabic qolqotar]. |
| couscous couscousou kouskous | a kind of food used by the natives of Western Africa, made of millet flour with flesh, and leaves of the baobab. |
| cubeb | the pungent berry of a S.E. Asian shrub of the pepper family, used in medicine and cookery. |
| curcuma | the plant that yields TURMERIC. [Arabic kurkum]. |
| dahabeah dahabeeah dahabiah dahabiya dahabiyah dahabieh dahabiyeh | a Nile sailing boat. |
| daman | a small herbivorous mammal of the genus Hyrax. |
| dari durr doura dura durra dhurra dhourra dourah | Indian millet. |
| dawah | the process of educating non-believers about Islam |
| derham dirham dirhem | an Oriental unit of weight. |
| dhikr | a Sufi religious ceremony. |
| dhimmi | a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law. |
| dhow dow | a lateen-rigged oriental craft. |
| dieb | a jackal of N. Africa. |
| dishdash dishdasha | a white long-sleeved collarless garment worn by some Muslim men |
| djebel jebel | a hill, a range of mountains. |
| djellaba djellabah galabeah gallabea gallabeah gallabia gallabiah gallabieh gallabiya gallabiyeh galabea gallabiyah galabia galabiah jelab jellaba galabiyah | an Arab cloak with a hood and wide sleeves. |
| djibbah jubhah jibba jibbah jubbah | a long loose outer garment worn by Muslims. |
| djin djinn jin jinn ginn jinni genii genies | a class of spirits in Muslim theology. |
| djinni djinny jinnee genie | one of a class of spirits in Muslim theology. |
| doseh | a religious ceremony where a sheik or dervishes rode on horseback over the prostrate bodies of his followers. |
| douar duar dowar | a circular Arab encampment. |
| doum | a kind of African palm tree. |
| dragoman | an interpreter or guide in Eastern countries > DRAGOMANS or DRAGOMEN. |
| emblic | a deciduous tree of the euphorbia family, native to tropical Asia, a kind of MYROBALAN. [Arabic amlaj, from Persian amleh]. |
| fakeer fakir faqir faquir | a Hindu ascetic. [Arabic fakir, poor (man)]. |
| falafel felafel | a deep-fried ball of ground chick-peas. |
| falaj | an irrigation channel, esp. in Oman > AFLAJ. [Arabic 'stream']. |
| fatwa fatwah fetwa | an Islamic religious decree issued by the ULAMA; (verb, not FETWA) to issue a fatwa FATWAED. |
| fedayee | an Arab commando, esp. one involved in the conflict against Israel > FEDAYEEN. |
| fellah | a peasant or cultivator of the soil among the Egyptians, Syrians, etc > FELLAHS or FELLAHIN. |
| fennec | the desert fox. |
| fingan finjan | the handleless coffee cup which fits within a ZARF. |
| fiqh | Islamic jurisprudence. |
| fitna | a state of trouble or chaos. |
| gazal ghazal ghazel | a Persian verse-form. |
| gelada | a kind of baboon, remarkable for the length of the hair on the neck and shoulders of the adult male. [Arabic qilada, collar]. |
| ghazi | a Muslim warrior who has fought the infidel > GHAZIS or GHAZIES. [Arabic ghazi, fighting]. |
| ghibli gibli | the name in Libya of the SCIROCCO, a hot, dry, dusty wind blowing from North Africa to the North Mediterranean coastline. |
| ghoul | in Arabic mythology, a desert demon preying on travellers; gen. an evil spirit or demon supposed to rob graves and devour corpses. [Arabic ghul]. |
| girsh gursh qursh qurush | a monetary unit of Saudi Arabia. |
| haboob | a violent dust storm or sandstorm, especially in Sudan along the southern edges of the Sahara. [Arabic habub]. |
| hadith | a record of Muslim sayings, second in authority to the Koran. |
| hadj haj hajj | a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. |
| hadjee hadji haji hajji | a Muslim pilgrim to Mecca; -- used among Orientals as a respectful salutation or a title of honor. |
| hajjah | a Muslim woman who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca |
| hafiz | one who knows the Koran by heart > HAFIZES. |
| haick haik haique hyke | an oblong cloth worn by Arabs on head or body. |
| hakeem hakim | a wise man; a physician, esp. a Muslim. |
| halal hallal | to slaughter according to Muslim law. |
| halala halalah | a Saudi Arabian monetary unit. [Arabic halal, lawful]. |
| hamada hammada | a desert plateau of bedrock. |
| hamal hamaul hammal | in eastern countries, a porter. |
| hammam hummaum hummum | an Oriental bathing establishment. |
| hamza hamzah | in Arabic, the sign used to represent the glottal stop. |
| haram harem hareem harim | a women's quarters in a Muslim house; a set of wives and concubines. |
| harira | a kind of Moroccan soup |
| harissa | a hot paste made from chilli peppers, spices etc |
| hashish hasheesh | the leaves, shoots and resin of hemp, smoked as an intoxicant. [Arabic hashish]. |
| hawala | a type of financial arrangment |
| hegira hejira hejra hijra hijrah | the flight of Mohammed from Mecca. |
| hejab hijab | a covering for a Muslim woman's head and face. |
| henna | a tree or shrub; a colour, moderate to strong reddish-brown to strong brown; (verb) to colour with henna. [Arabic hinna]. |
| houdah howdah | a seat or covered pavilion on the back of an elephant or camel. [Ar haudaj]. |
| hudna | a truce or ceasefire for an agreed duration |
| hudud | a set of laws and punishments prescribed by the Koran |
| ibadah | in Islam, service, worship > IBADAT. |
| ibrik | the Arabic name for a cezve, a small metal pot used for preparing coffee |
| iftar | a meal taken after sunset to break one's fast during Ramadan |
| ihram | the peculiar dress worn by pilgrims to Mecca. |
| ijtihad | the use of reasoning in Islamic law. |
| imam imaum | the officer who leads the devotions in a mosque. |
| imamate | the office of an IMAM; the territory under the jurisdiction of an IMAM. |
| imshi imshy | (old military slang) go away. |
| inshallah | an interjection among Muslims > if Allah wills. |
| intifada intifadah+ intifadeh+ | the uprising in 1987 and continued resistance by Palestinians to Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of Jordan. [Arabic intifada shaking off]. |
| izar | a long cotton outer garment (usually white) worn by Muslim women. |
| jamaat | an asembly. |
| jamahiriya jumhouriya | in Arab socialist states, the people or proletariat state. |
| jambiya jambiyah | a Middle Eastern curved dagger with two edges. |
| jann | the least powerful order of JINN. |
| jehad jihad | in Islam, a holy war. |
| jehadi | one who takes part in a JEHAD > JEHADIS or JEHADEEN or JIHADEEN |
| jerboa | any small jumping rodent of the genus Dipus, common in Egypt and the adjacent countries. [Arabic yarbu]. |
| jereed jerid jerrid jerreed | a wooden Oriental javelin. |
| jilbab | a logn robe worn by Muslim women > JILBABS or JALABIB |
| kaffiyeh keffiyeh kufiyah kaffiyah+ keffiyah | the cloth head gear worn by many Palestinians. |
| kaif kif kief kef keef | a state of dreamy intoxication induced by e.g. cannabis. [Arabic kaif, pleasure]. |
| kali | the prickly saltwort or glasswort. |
| kamseen kamsin khamseen khamsin | the sirocco in Egypt, a hot southerly wind that usually blows from about March to May. |
| kat khat qat | a shrub of the spindle tree family, cultivated in Arabia for its leaves, which are chewed or infused as a stimulant; the narcotic drug obtained from these leaves. |
| keblah qibla kibla kiblah | (the direction of) the place to which Muslims must turn for prayer, now the Kaaba at Mecca. |
| khalif khalifa | a CALIPH, a Senussi leader, the Mahdi's successor. [Arabic khalifah]. |
| khimar | a type of headdress worn by Arab women. |
| khor | a dry watercourse; a ravine. [Arabic khurr, khorr]. |
| khotbah khotbeh khutbah | an address or public prayer read from the steps of the pulpit in Mohammedan mosques, offering glory to God, praising Mohammed and his descendants, and the ruling princes. |
| khoum | a monetary unit of Mauritania. |
| kibbe kibbeh kibbi | a Syrian dish of ground meat and cracked wheat. [Arabic kubba]. |
| kirbeh | a water container made from animal hide. |
| kohl | a black cosmetic powder. |
| kourbash kurbash | a whip of hide; (verb) to flog with a kourbash. |
| lablab | an East Indian name for several twining leguminous plants related to the bean, but commonly applied to the hyacinth bean. |
| lebbek | an Old World tropical mimosaceous tree. [Arab. labak]. |
| leben | Middle Eastern yogurt. [Arabic laban, milk]. |
| loofa loofah luffa | a kind of vine > the fibrous gourd-like fruit is used as sponge. |
| madrasa madrasah madrassa madrassah medresseh medresa medrese | an Islamic college, or school attached to mosque. |
| mahmal | the empty litter sent to Mecca in the HADJ. |
| majlis mejlis | an assembly or council in various N. African and Middle Eastern countries. |
| malik melik | in India, the head of a village, an employer. |
| mameluke mamluk | one of former Turkish slaves that held the Egyptian throne from 1250 to 1517. |
| mancala | an African board game. [Arabic mangala, from nagala, to move]. |
| marabou | a large stork, which furnishes plumes worn as ornaments. [Fr. fr. Arabic murabit, holy man]. |
| marid | a JINN of the most powerful class. |
| mashallah | an interjection, what God will. |
| masjid musjid | a mosque. |
| mastaba mastabah | an Egyptian tomb with rectangular base, sloping sides and a flat roof. [Arabic mastaba, stone bench]. |
| mecca mekka | a goal, from the city of Muslim pilgrimage. |
| medina | in N. African cities, the ancient native quarter. |
| merguez | a spicy N. African sausage. |
| mezereon mezereum | an early-flowering woodland shrub with fragrant purplish or rose-coloured flowers. [Arabic mazaryun]. |
| mhorr mohr | a West African gazelle. |
| mihrab | a niche or slab in a mosque marking the direction of Mecca. |
| mimbar minbar | a mosque pulpit. |
| minar | a tower. |
| minaret | a tall tower or turret connected with a mosque and surrounded by one or more projecting balconies from which a muezzin calls at hours of prayer. [Arabic manarat, from nar, fire]. |
| miskal | an Oriental unit of weight. [Arabic mitkal, from takala, to weigh]. |
| mocuddum muqaddam mokaddam | a leader, headman. |
| mohair | a fabric made from the silky hair of angora goats. [Arabic mukayyar, cloth of goat's hair]. |
| molla moolah mulla mullah | a Muslim learned in theology and law. |
| mooktar mukhtar | an Indian lawyer; a Turkish local government official. [Arabic mukhtar, chosen]. |
| mosk mosque | an Islamic temple. |
| moucharaby | in N. Africa, an external balcony enclosed with latticework. [French f. Arab. masrabiyya, f. masraba pitcher, f. sariba to drink.] |
| mudejar | a Spanish Moor, esp. one allowed to remain in Spain after the Conquest > MUDEJARES. [Arabic mudajjan, one allowed to remain]. |
| mudir | a local governor. [Arabic mudir]. |
| mudiria mudirieh | the office of MUDIR, a local governor. |
| mueddin muezzin | the Muslim official who calls the faithful to prayer. |
| mufti | civilian clothes, especially when worn by someone who normally wears a uniform; a scholar or jurist who interprets. [Arabic mufti, from afta (to decide a legal point). Another word that comes from the same root is fatwa (decree)]. |
| mujahedeen mujahedin mujahideen mujahidin mujaheddin | Islamic fundamentalist freedom fighters. |
| nabk nebbuk nebek nebeck | a tree, the Christ's-thorn. [Arabic nebk]. |
| nadir | the point of the heavens diametrically opposite to the zenith; the point directly below an observer. [Arabic nazir, opposite to]. |
| nastalik | a Persian cursive script, having long horizontal strokes and rounded characters. [Arabic naskhi, cursive script, + talik, hanging]. |
| nazir | an Indian court official. [Arabic nazir, overseer]. |
| nikab niqab niqaab | a type of veil worn by Muslim women |
| nikah | in Islamic marriage, the contract between the bridegroom and the bride |
| noria | a device for raising water from a stream etc., consisting of a chain of pots or buckets, revolving round a wheel driven by the water current. |
| nuggar | a large boat used to carry cargo on the Nile. |
| omlah | a staff of officials in India. |
| oshac | the ammoniac plant. [Arabic ushshaq]. |
| oud | a stringed instrument of Northern Africa, akin to the lute. |
| ouguiya | a monetary unit of Mauritania. |
| qanat | an underground tunnel for carrying irrigation water. |
| qasida | a formal Arabic poem of praise. |
| qawwal | a singer of QAWWALI, devotional Sufi music. |
| qawwali | a form of devotional Sufi music. |
| racahout raccahout | a preparation from acorns used by the Arabs as a substitute for chocolate, and also as a beverage for invalids. |
| rai | a modern North African form of popular music. |
| raia raya rayah | a non-Muslim subject of Turkey. |
| razzia | a plundering and destructive incursion; a foray; a raid. [Fr. from Arabic gaziya, raid]. |
| realgar resalgar | a bright-red monoclinic mineral. [Arabic rajh al gar, 'powder of the cave']. |
| riad | a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden. |
| rotl | a variable Levantine weight > ARTAL or ROTLS. |
| rubai | a Persian verse-form, a four-line stanza > RUBAIYAT or RUBAIS. [Arabic rubai, quadripartite]. |
| sabha | a set of beads used by Muslims during prayer. |
| sabkha sabkhah sabkhat | a broad, salt-encrusted coastal plain above the level of normal tides. |
| saice sice syce | a stableman or groom, esp. in India. |
| saiyid sayid said sayyid | a descendant of Mohammed's daughter Fatima. |
| sakia sakiyeh sakieh | an Eastern water-wheel. |
| salaam | a low bow with the palm of the hand on the forehead; (verb) to make a SALAAM. |
| salat | a set of prayers to be said five times a day while facing Mecca. |
| saluki sloughi | a greyhound-like Arab dog; a gazelle hound. |
| samiel simoom simoon | a hot desert wind. |
| santir santour santur santoor | an Eastern dulcimer. |
| sansa zanza zanze | an African musical instrument. [Ar sanj, castanets or cymbals]. |
| sebesten | the mucilaginous drupaceous fruit of two East Indian trees, sometimes used medicinally in pectoral diseases. [Arabic sebastan]. |
| sehri sohur suhur | a meal eaten before sunrise by those fasting during Ramadan. |
| seif | a long sand-dune lying parallel to the direction of the wind that forms it. [Arabic sayf, sword]. |
| semsem | sesame. [Arabic simsim]. |
| senna | the leaves of several leguminous plants of the genus Cassia, used as a cathartic medicine. [Arabic sana]. |
| sephen | a large sting ray of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The skin is an article of commerce. [Arabic safan, shagreen]. |
| sesame | an African plant, widely grown in the tropics, producing seeds used as food and yielding an edible oil. |
| shadoof shaduf | a machine, resembling a well sweep, used in Egypt for raising water from the Nile for irrigation. |
| shaheed shahid | a martyr for the Islamic faith. |
| shahada shahadah | the Islamic declaration of faith, repeated daily |
| shaitan sheitan | an evil spirit. |
| shamal shimaal | in the Middle East, a hot dry north wind that carries sand in desert places. |
| sharia shariat sheria sheriat | the body of Islamic religious law. |
| sharif sherif shereef | a descendant of Mohammed through his daughter Fatima. [Arab. sarif, noble, high-born]. |
| shawarma | a sandwich of lamb or chicken, veg, and often tahini wrapped in pita. |
| sheesha shisha | a hookah, a kind of water-cooled pipe. |
| sheik sheikh shaikh shaykh | an Arab chief. [Arabic sheikha, to be old]. |
| sheikha | the chief wife or consort of a SHEIKH. |
| sherbert sherbet | a cooling drink made of sweetened and diluted fruit juice, drunk esp. in Arab countries. |
| shroff | to test money to detect impurities. [Arabic saraf]. |
| shufti shufty | (coll.) a look, a dekko. [Arabic 'have you seen']. |
| shura shoora | the Islamic principle of (rule by) consultation; an Islamic consultative council. |
| sloughi | see SALUKI. |
| sohur | see SEHRI. |
| soldan soudan souldan suldan sultan | the monarch or chief ruler of a Muslim country, esp. that of Turkey. |
| sophy | a ruler of Persia. |
| souk suk sukh suq | an Arab market-place. [Arabic suk]. |
| subha | a string of beads used in prayer and meditation |
| sudd | a mass of vegetation floating on water in NE Africa. |
| sudder | of a government department or official > chief, supreme; (noun) a supreme court. |
| suhur | see SEHRI. |
| sunna sunnah | a collection of traditions received by orthodox Muslims as of equal authority with the Koran. |
| sura surah | a chapter of the Koran. |
| tabbouleh tabuli tabouli tabooley tabbouli+ tabouleh | a kind of Lebanese salad. |
| tahina tahini | a paste made of crushed sesame seeds. [Arabic 'to grind']. |
| taj | a tall, conical cap worn by Muslims as a headdress of distinction > TAJES. [Arabic taj, crown]. |
| talak talaq | in Islamic law > divorce, esp. by the husband's verbal repudiation of his wife in the presence of witnesses. |
| talisman | an object supposed to have occult or magic powers, esp. an inscribed stone or ring worn as an amulet to avert evil or bring good luck, health, etc. [Arabic tilsam]. |
| tamarind | a large tropical tree; its fruit. [Arabic tamr-Hindi, date of India]. |
| tamboura tambur tambura | an Eastern stringed instrument, used to produce a drone. |
| tarboosh tarboush tarbush tarbouche | a fez, a hat worn by Muslim men. |
| tarragon | a kind of herb. [Arabic tarkhan]. |
| tasbih | a form of Islamic prayer that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences glorifying God. |
| tel | a hill or mound. |
| truchman | an interpreter. Cf. DRAGOMAN. |
| ulama ulema | the body of professional theologians, expounders of the law, in a Muslim country. |
| umma ummah | the body of Muslim believers considered as one community. |
| umra umrah | a lesser pilgrimage to Mecca made separately or at the same time as the hajj, and consisting of a number of devotional rituals performed within the city. |
| varan | a monitor lizard. [Arabic waran]. |
| vezir vizir visier vizier wazir wizier | a minister in various Muslim states. |
| vizirate | the office of a VIZIR. |
| wadi wady | the dry bed of a torrent; a river valley. |
| wakf waqf | in Islamic countries, endowment or settlement of property under which the proceeds are to be devoted to a religious or charitable purpose; land or property endowed in this way. |
| worral worrel | an Egyptian fork-tongued lizard, about four feet long when full grown. [Arabic waral, lizard]. |
| wudu | ritual washing before the daily prayer |
| yashmac yashmak yasmak | a double Muslim veil leaving only eyes uncovered. |
| zabeta | a stated tariff. |
| zamouse | a short-horned buffalo. [Arabic jamus]. |
| zareba zareeba zariba zereba zeriba | an improvised stockade, esp. one made of thorn bushes, etc. |
| zarf zurf | an ornamental metal holder for a handleless coffee cup. |
| zarnec zarnich | a native sulphide of arsenic. |
| zebub | an Ethiopian dipterous insect, aka ZIMB. [Arabic zebub, fly]. |
| zendik | in the east, one who abstains from magic or practises religion. [Arab. zindik f. Pers. zandik fire-worshipper, heretic.] |
| zerda | a desert fox, aka FENNEC. [Arabic zardawa]. |
| zibet zibeth | a civet cat. [Arabic zabad, musky perfume]. |
| zircon | a tetragonal mineral, zirconium silicate, of which jacinth and jargoon are varieties. [Ar. zarqun]. |