loofah

Where does the word "loofah" come from? It comes from Arabic luffa, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Loofah’s story begins in Arabic: luffa meant “the luffa gourd.” The name for the fibrous gourd used as a scrubbing sponge. It reached English by 1800s as loofah. The dried fibrous inside of a gourd of the cucumber family. Today, loofah means a fibrous plant material used as a bath sponge.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval luffa "the luffa gourd", the name for the fibrous gourd used as a scrubbing sponge.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s loofah "a fibrous gourd used as a scrubbing sponge", the dried fibrous inside of a gourd of the cucumber family.