Etymology Map
Back to all words

Chibouk

3 stages from Turkish to English.

Today it means a long-stemmed Turkish tobacco pipe

Where does the word "chibouk" come from? It comes from Turkish çubuk, passing through Ottoman Turkish before entering English (1810s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
çubuk
Turkish · medieval
"stick"
the pipe was named for its long wooden stem
2
Stage 2 of 3
çubuk
Ottoman Turkish · 1600s-1800s
"long pipe"
after tobacco reached the empire around 1600, pipes with stems up to a metre and a half long were offered to guests
3
Stage 3 of 3
chibouk
English · 1810s
"a long Turkish pipe"
travellers in the Levant described being handed a chibouk and coffee as the ritual of Ottoman hospitality
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Chibouk’s story begins in Turkish: çubuk meant “stick.” The pipe was named for its long wooden stem. By 1600s-1800s, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as çubuk. After tobacco reached the empire around 1600, pipes with stems up to a metre and a half long were offered to guests. It reached English by 1810s as chibouk. Travellers in the Levant described being handed a chibouk and coffee as the ritual of Ottoman hospitality. Today, chibouk means a long-stemmed Turkish tobacco pipe.