Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Arabic ·1890s
Safari
from safar
- Meaning
- A journey or expedition (Arabic), borrowed into Swahili as *safari*.
- Source word
- safar
- Route into English
- Arabic → Swahili *safari* → English via East African colonial administration and Victorian-era big-game hunting literature.
- Arrived
- 1890s
From Arabic
Science, trade, and the Mediterranean transit of Andalusian scholarship gave English its Arabic stratum — especially in maths, chemistry, and commerce. Many entered through Latin or Italian.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.