afreet

Where does the word "afreet" come from? It comes from Arabic 'afara, passing through Arabic before entering English (1786).

Afreet’s story begins in Arabic: 'afara meant “to cover in dust.” Meant "to rub with dust" or "roll in dust". Within Arabic, it grew into 'ifrit by medieval. Developed into the name for a powerful, dangerous demon mentioned in the Quran and later folklore. It reached English by 1786 as afreet / ifrit. Entered English through translations of Middle Eastern folklore and the Arabian Nights. Today, afreet means a powerful and dangerous demon or monstrous spirit in Arabic and Islamic folklore.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · ancient 'afara "to cover in dust", meant "to rub with dust" or "roll in dust".
2. Stage 2 · Arabic · medieval 'ifrit "powerful demon", developed into the name for a powerful, dangerous demon mentioned in the Quran and later folklore.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1786 afreet / ifrit "monstrous demon or jinn", entered English through translations of Middle Eastern folklore and the Arabian Nights.