Coffee etymology

Introduction – Origin of the word coffee (Coffee Etymology)

The coffee plant (Coffea arabica) is native to Ethiopia (previously Abyssinia) and was first written about by the Persian physician Rhazes. The coffee plants were first cultivated in Yemen (previously Arabia Felix) and it was first drunk extensively by the Muslim dervishes in Arden and Turkey was the first country to roast the green coffee beans. So is it any wonder then, that the origin of the word coffee would have its roots in the Arabic language.
'Qahwah’ is the Arabic term for the coffee drink, and while scholars disagree on the exact link that led to the English word “coffee”, there is no doubt that it was an Arabic word with some connection to ‘Qahwah’. It is generally agreed that the term coffee found its way into European languages in about the 1600′s, most probably from the Italian term “caffe” which was derived from the Turkish pronunciation “kahveh” of the Arabic word ‘Qahwah’ as shown below.
Moreover, we should note that these terms represent the drink made by infusing coffee beans, rather than the name of the coffee cherry fruit or the coffee plant itself. Qahwa/Al-Qahwa was a common Yemen term used in the 14th century to describe the beverage made by boiling the fruit of the coffea arabica plant. Prior to coffee consumption the word “qahwa” was in common use in Arabic and denoted the idea of making something repugnant or lessening one’s desire for something. Some medieval Arab lexicographers also gave “qahwa” the meaning of wine or dark stuff.

Coffee’s Global Names

Coffee drinking has spread from an exclusively Arabian drink prior to the 1400′s, into a global drink enjoyed in almost every country in the world. So, each language has needed to merge a term into their vocabulary that described this exotic drink. Here is a sample of the names that the term coffee is known by in global languages

Origin of the word Coffee in the Dictionary

James Murray, in the New English Dictionary, believed that the origin of the English word “coffee” connects with the name Kaffa, a town in Shoa, southwest Abyssinia (Ethopia), which is the reputed native place of the coffee plant. However, there is little evidence to support this connection because the coffee berry or plant is called “bunn” in Arabic with a different word being used to describe the drink. Sir James Murray also draws attention to the existence of two European origins for the word “coffee”, one similar to the French café and Italian caffè, the other like the Dutch koffie.

Col. W.F. Prideaux, another New English Dictionary contributor, argued that the European languages got one form of the word coffee directly from the Arabic ‘qahwah’, and quoted from Hobson-Jobson in support of this while, Sir Thomas Herbert in his folio about his travels in Africa (1638) expressly states that “they drink (in Persia) … above all the rest, Coho or Copha: by Turk and Arab called Caphe and Cahua.” Here the Persian, Turkish, and Arabic pronunciations are clearly differentiated.

According to The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, European languages generally seem to have derived the name coffee from the Turkish “kahveh” in about 1600 via the Italian term “caffe”. “Kahveh” is the Turkish pronunciation of the Arabic name “qahwah” which originally meant ‘a sort of wine’ and is a derivative of the verb “qahiya” (meaning – to have no appetite).

The first mentions of the word coffee in literature

Europe’s first knowledge of coffee was brought by travellers returning from the Far East and the Levant (an area of modern day Israel and Lebanon, including the Jordan Valley and a small bit of Syria)

Leonhard Rauwolf recorded his famous journey into the Eastern countries in a book called Rauwolf’s Travels. He left from Marseilles in September, 1573, having left his home in Augsburg, the 18th of the preceding May. He reached Aleppo in November, 1573; and returned to Augsburg, February 12, 1576. He was the first European to mention coffee; and to him also belongs the honour of being the first to refer to the coffee beverage in print.

Rauwolf was not only a doctor of medicine and a botanist of great renown, but also official physician to the town of Augsburg. When he spoke, it was as one having authority. The first printed reference to coffee appears as “chaube” in chapter viii of his Rauwolf’s Travels, which deals with the manners and customs of the people from the city of Aleppo.

Other writers referred to the word “coffee” as;

English and Dutch literature;

• “cohoo” Jourdain (1609)
• “coffe” Revett (1609)
• “coho pots” and “coffao pots” in Danvers’s Letters (1611)
• “cohu” Sir T. Roe (1615) and Terry (1616)
• “cowha” (1619) Foster’s English Factories in India
• “cowhe, couha” (1621), Foster’s English Factories in India
• “coffa” (1628). Foster’s English Factories in India
• “coffee” Evelyn (1637)
• “coho and copha” Sir T. Herbert (1638)
• “coho” Fryer (1673)
• “coffee” Ovington (1690)
• “coffi” Valentijn (1726)

French and Italian literature;

• “caova” Prospero Alpini (1580)
• “chaoua” Paludanus (1598)
• “cahoa” Pyrard de Laval (1610)
• “caveah” P. Della Valle (1615)
• “caveah” Jac. Bontius (1631)
• “cave” the Journal d’Antoine Galland (1673)

Conclusion – Origin of the term coffee (Coffee Etymology)

In 1895 the Parisian Édelestan Jardin publishes a work on coffee, entitled “Le Caféier et le Café” (The coffee tree and Coffee). In that work Jardin concludes that scholars are not agreed on the etymology of the word coffee, and perhaps will never be.

He goes on to explain that;

• Philippe Sylvestre Dufour in his book Traités Nouveaux et Curieux du Café, du Thé, et du Chocolat.Lyons, 1684, reckons that the word is derived from “caouhe”, a name given by the Turks to the beverage prepared from the seed.

• Chevalier d’Arvieux, French consul at Alet, Savary, and Trevoux, in his dictionary “Travels in Arabia the Desert” Paris 1717, think that coffee term comes from the Arabic, but from the word “cahoueh” or “quaweh”, meaning to give vigour or strength, because, says d’Arvieux, its most general effect is to fortify and strengthen. Frenchman Tavernier’s (1605-85) travel records combat this opinion.

• D’Alembert in his 1751–77 encyclopedic dictionary (Encyclopédistes), writes that the word “caffé” was the origin of the English word coffee.
• Moseley B.M. in a treatise about the properties and effects of coffee. London, 1785, attributes the origin of the word coffee to “Kaffa”.

• Sylvestre de Sacy, in his Chréstomathie Arabe, published in 1806, thinks that the word “kahwa”, synonymous with makli, roasted in a stove, might very well be the etymology of the word coffee.

Jardin concludes that whatever there may be in these various etymologies, it remains a fact that the word coffee comes from an Arabian word, whether it be "qahwah", “kahua”, “kahoueh”, “kaffa” or “kahwa”, and that the peoples who have adopted the drink have all modified the Arabian word to suit their own languages as described in the table above.

How long to grill shrimp? How do you teach your dog to do tricks on my first dog How to record a video on iphone What does a yellow rose mean How to get nail glue off What are fiddleheads What does it mean to see a humming bird What does ngl mean How to size children's shoes tricks What does etiquette mean What color are the iphone 12 How to fix vertigo What level does bellsprout evolve What are the uses for different airless paint tips? How to prevent carpal tunnel Nespresso machine how to use What time does ufc start tonight What does overdue mean How to screenshot on dell How to bookmark on iphone How to turn off wow tips What does it mean to be diabetic What does dying of consumption mean What time does the a's play today What does asana mean How to change country on iphone What does realization mean What time does the carnival close What does identity mean How to get concrete in minecraft? How to change your @ on twitter? How to stream thursday night football Best tips to know when someone is in snap chat How to make a smoothie? What does 2319 mean What does hdl mean in a blood test What does b6 do How to do matte nails with glossy tips How to make dabs How to record tips on insurance How much does it cost to charge an electric car How to stop mosquito bites from itching What does hmu mean in a text Tips for declining ldw when renting a car How to give yourself a hickey? What are the symptoms of depression Celebrity who do majgic tricks How to change app icons on iphone Tips on when to resole What does a wasp look like What tricks can the monster jam pirate's curse do What does it mean to extract a file How to make edibles for beginners? What does lung cancer look like What level does rattata evolve How to right click without a mouse How to begin card tricks What are some infamous math tricks Servsafe vs tips what takes longer How to write resume How to apply for social security disability? How to reverse image search on iphone? How to change shipping address on amazon Pubg g how tips xbox What does creampie mean How to draw a hoodie What does multitude mean What does innocuous mean Tips on how to write a novel How to embed a youtube video? Tips on how to handle a child who is 5 years old that has odd What do the three numbers mean on fertilizer What are the symptoms of the final stages of alzheimer's How to remove acrylic tips What are chemical properties How to flirt with a girl How to teach less than greater than symbols without tricks What does busy mean What does wang chung mean How to cancel subscriptions on amazon prime video How to turn off tips in revelation online Fanfic where naruto hits a training dummy in the crotch because iruka tricks him What are you doing the rest of your life How to cook carrots? How to find mean of sampling distribution How to file nail tips What does despair mean What does the afton family look like in real life How to download any movies for free google tricks Tips on how to get standby tickets How to make coal in little alchemy? What does pariah mean What does invalidate mean What do the 3 fingers mean in hunger games What does the name sebastian mean What does this mean in math How to make better tips waitressing How to program liftmaster remote How to make myself pee? How to turn on battery percentage on iphone 13? What does voracious mean How to cure hormonal imbalance in females How to get rid of forehead wrinkles Tricks on how to use google How to get an llc How to ask your crush out How to talk to anyone 92 little tricks pdf What does target pay How much does it cost to charge a tesla What does open box mean How to pan fry chicken How to sign out of icloud? What does it mean if your hematocrit is high? Pinochle tips what to trade What does greek mean How long to grill hamburgers? What does myo mean How to take care of a baby bird Tips to pay off debt when not earning so much How to install windows 10 from usb? How to reduce snoring? How to use baby q tips What does branded title mean How to make breakfast potatoes? What does white mean What does acv stand for What does credit line mean How to delete offerup account? What does raquel welch look like now 2021 How to know your ring size How to delete game pigeon? If i withheld my tips where should i enter them on tax Simple tricks to remember what you hear What does permitted mean How long to cook chicken tenders in oven? How to make brown rice How to get henna off How much do you make from tips reddit How to become a respitory therapist How to make a quick gravy for beef tips over rice What does pomegranate symbolize Math tricks, 77-age+ year born= what are they called What does eve mean Tricks on how to learn multiplication tables How to make your room cooler? What is hamsa hand mean What does 60 chance of rain mean How to take out soft locs? How to pass mouth swab? How to play phase 10 Rubiks cube tricks how to What does dialectical mean How to buy shiba? What does the star on a dollar bill mean How to get real estate license What does the owl symbolize How do u find the mean What does trilling mean Which of the following tips is most effective for learning to say no withgrace and class Tips on how What workout do i need to be able to do crazy tricks How to check covid vaccine records? What does tyb mean What does twilio do How to draw pants Tips when traveling in cities reddit What does jbl stand for How to get pregnant asap tips How to unsync iphone from ipad What do core values mean How to file nails for french tips What does a turtle look like without a shell How to make heels more comfortable? What time does kamala get inaugurated What does basis mean What does it mean when your dog is shaking What time does army of the dead release How to call amazon customer service How to make a crew in gta 5 What are soda crackers What does ea stand for How to hem jeans What are psychotropic drugs What does boofing mean How to do magic tricks with a book What does it mean to see a blue jay How to remove card from doordash? What does separation of church and state mean What does r.s.v.p mean on an invitation How to get dye off skin? How to find perimeter of a triangle How to make rice krispies How to get a personal loan with bad credit? When to start training poodles to do tricks What does 100 mean Tips on how to make eyebrows higher What does rpm mean in a car How to tricks in puppy linux Who has the most hat-tricks in football history What time does usps open Tips and tricks youtube how to with old vhs tapes How to eat vagina What does los mean How to de stress How to cope with loneliness How to use ashes of war How to thicken chili What does it mean when a house is under contract How long to cook tamales What does chooch mean in italian What does epilogue mean What does getting swatted mean How to draw realistic eyes? What does ikr mean in texting Minecraft how to get rid of tips in top right How to apply.lipsense tips and tricks What does a vegan eat How to open a snap without them knowing How much does it cost to paint a truck? What does aids mean Tips tricks walkthrough how does manufacturing work in fallout 4 What does pues mean How to tell if salmon is cooked What does ss mean How rich is linus tech tips How to slow down a video on iphone What does schism mean How to do motorcycle tricks pubg Player unknown battlegrounds how to do tricks on bike control What does mildew smell like What is a good amount of tips in a bar How to relieve lower back pain fast How to put What does ntp mean How to do magic tricks on stage What does lmbo mean How to descale nespresso vertuo next What are we voting for today 2021 What are negatively charged ions called How to become a reseller How to file an amended tax return? What does diversified mean Tips on how to understand where someone is coming from What does rtc stand for How to become a reseller How to get over covid faster? How to calculate gpa? What does quartz look like What does 666 mean angel number Tips for when school feels overwhelming What does vitamin d3 do What does pugnacious mean How to delete app on iphone What does retarded mean What are the types of energy Tips on how to shave How to i What does fwb mean in text Tips on how to forgive How to watch yellowstone season 4 amazon prime? How to cook brisket tips What does it mean when a property is contingent What does family mean How to fold a towel How long to roast a chicken at 350? How to induce labor at home What does the name audrey mean What does insidious mean