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Cafe

5 stages from Arabic to English.

Today it means a small restaurant or coffeehouse serving light meals and drinks

Where does the word "cafe" come from? It comes from Arabic qahwah, passing through Ottoman Turkish, Italian and French before entering English (1802).

1
Stage 1 of 5
qahwah
Arabic · medieval
"coffee"
the word for coffee, possibly linked to a word for wine or to the Kaffa region of Ethiopia
2
Stage 2 of 5
kahveh
Ottoman Turkish · 1530s
"coffee, coffeehouse"
the beverage and its name reached the Ottoman court and spread through its coffeehouses
3
Stage 3 of 5
caffe
Italian · 1615
"coffee"
introduced to Venice as part of the growing coffee trade
4
Stage 4 of 5
cafe
French · 1650s
"coffee, coffeehouse"
came to mean both the drink and the establishment serving it, after Europe's first cafes opened
5
Stage 5 of 5
cafe
English · 1802
"coffeehouse, small restaurant"
entered English specifically for the coffeehouse or small restaurant, distinct from "coffee" itself
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