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Jaffa

3 stages from Hebrew to English.

Today it means a large, thick-skinned sweet orange, named after the port of Jaffa

Where does the word "jaffa" come from? It comes from Hebrew Yafo, passing through Arabic before entering English (1880s).

Yafo→Yāfā→Jaffa

Hebrew · ancient

"Jaffa (a port)"

one of the world's oldest ports, already named in Egyptian records of the 1400s BC; tradition links the name to 'yafe', beautiful

Arabic · 1800s

growers here developed the thick-skinned Shamouti orange in the mid-1800s, ideal for long sea voyages

English · 1880s

shipped to Britain in huge numbers; McVitie's launched Jaffa Cakes in 1927

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Jaffa’s story begins in Hebrew: Yafo meant “Jaffa (a port).” One of the world's oldest ports, already named in Egyptian records of the 1400s BC; tradition links the name to 'yafe', beautiful. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in Arabic as Yāfā. Growers here developed the thick-skinned Shamouti orange in the mid-1800s, ideal for long sea voyages. It reached English by 1880s as Jaffa. Shipped to Britain in huge numbers; McVitie's launched Jaffa Cakes in 1927. Today, jaffa means a large, thick-skinned sweet orange, named after the port of Jaffa.