Etymology Map
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Caffeine

3 stages from Arabic to English.

Today it means a stimulant compound found in coffee, tea and some other plants

Where does the word "caffeine" come from? It comes from Arabic qahwa, passing through German before entering English (1830).

1
Stage 1 of 3
qahwa
Arabic · 1400s
"coffee"
the drink spread among Sufi circles in Yemen in the 1400s; see 'coffee'
2
Stage 2 of 3
Kaffein
German · 1819
"coffee alkaloid"
the chemist Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge isolated it from coffee beans in 1819, reportedly at the suggestion of Goethe
3
Stage 3 of 3
caffeine
English · 1830
"stimulant in coffee and tea"
via French caféine; it is the world's most widely used psychoactive substance
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Read the full story

Caffeine’s story begins in Arabic: qahwa meant “coffee.” The drink spread among Sufi circles in Yemen in the 1400s; see 'coffee'. By 1819, the word had taken hold in German as Kaffein. The chemist Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge isolated it from coffee beans in 1819, reportedly at the suggestion of Goethe. It reached English by 1830 as caffeine. Via French caféine; it is the world's most widely used psychoactive substance. Today, caffeine means a stimulant compound found in coffee, tea and some other plants.