Mar 30, 2001 11:57
23 yrs ago
English term

coffee

Non-PRO English to Arabic Other
as a beverage

Proposed translations

22 mins

qahwa قهوة

qahwa قهوة is the word for the beverage.

Not only is it the translation, but it is the origin of the English word. According to Webster's dictionary, coffee is derived from the Italian caffe`, from the Turkish kahve, from the Arabic qahwa. For those who care to read, www.dictionary.com has a nice little word history piece on coffee that I can not copy here for obvious reasons.

The translation of the coffee bean is bonn بن.

Hope this helps.

- Alaa Zeineldine
Peer comment(s):

Roomy Naqvy
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1 hr

QAHWA

QAHWA is the modern standard Arabic term for coffee.

Pronunciation varies regionally, with differences mostly affecting the first consonant and the last vowel. In some regions, the medial vowel is placed after the H rather than before it. In “Mulook Al-Arab,” Hafiz Wahbah reports that when the late King Abdulazeez wanted to treat his guests to coffee, he would call out, “Qhow!”

According to Al-Munjid, QAHWA originally meant, “liquor.” Tentative explanations are given for that, but such explanations are to be taken with a grain of salt.

QAHWA is also used in many regions to mean a café (a coffeehouse). Although MAQHA is used in writing, it has never gained currency in the spoken vernacular.

BUNN is the older name for coffee. It is still used in many regions, especially in reference to the coffee plant, the coffee beans, and their dry derivatives. When I was a kid (and that was a very long time ago), we had to say, “QAHWAT BUNN,” to be clear and distinct. Otherwise, QAHWA by itself would be understood generically as any of several hot drinks, my favorite being QAHWAT ZA'FARAN (a hot saffron beverage).

In some Arab regions, coffee with cream, being a foreign novelty, is called KAFEE.

Fuad
Reference:

Al-Munjid

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Roomy Naqvy
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1 day 11 hrs

kahwa

this is the general term for coffee whether turfish or african or brazilian
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Roomy Naqvy
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19 days

Qahwa

I hope it helps you
yacine
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Roomy Naqvy
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