coffee

Where does the word "coffee" come from? It comes from Arabic qahwa, passing through Ottoman Turkish, Italian and Dutch before entering English (c. 1600s).

Coffee’s story begins in Arabic: qahwa meant “wine, later coffee.” Originally a poetic word for wine, applied to the new drink. By c. 1500s, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as kahve. Spread through Ottoman coffeehouse culture. From there it passed into Italian as caffè by c. 1600. Entered Europe through Venetian merchants. Dutch picked it up next, as koffie, around c. 1600s. Spread further through Dutch trading networks. It reached English by c. 1600s as coffee. Spelling settled once coffeehouses opened in London. Today, coffee means a brewed drink made from roasted, ground coffee beans.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · c. 1500s qahwa "wine, later coffee", originally a poetic word for wine, applied to the new drink.
2. Stage 2 · Ottoman Turkish · c. 1500s kahve "coffee", spread through Ottoman coffeehouse culture.
3. Stage 3 · Italian · c. 1600 caffè "coffee", entered Europe through Venetian merchants.
4. Stage 4 · Dutch · c. 1600s koffie "coffee", spread further through Dutch trading networks.
5. Stage 5 · English · c. 1600s coffee "the coffee drink", spelling settled once coffeehouses opened in London.