English words from Turkish
5 English words with Turkish in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
dervish
It is borrowed from Turkish derviş, from Persian درویش (darvīsh, “poor man, beggar”). It was first spelled dervis; the spelling dervish dates from the mid-19th century.
jackal
It is borrowed from Turkish çakal, from Persian شغال (šaġāl), related to Sanskrit शृगाल (śṛgāla, “jackal”), literally “the howler”. Barnhart explains the English j- as a misinterpretation of the…
sherbet
It is borrowed from Turkish şerbet, from Persian شربت (sharbat), from Arabic شَرْبَة (šarba, “a drink”), from شَرِبَ (šariba) “to drink”. Etymonline calls it a doublet of syrup.
sofa
It is borrowed from Turkish sofa, partly through French sofa, from Arabic صُفَّة (ṣuffa, “bench, ledge, dais, couch”). The OED, revising the entry in 2025, notes that in Ottoman Turkish the word…
turban
It is borrowed from Middle French turbant, from Italian turbante (Old Italian tolipante), from Turkish tülbent (“gauze, muslin”), from Persian دلبند (dulband, “turban”). It is the same word as…