madrasa

Where does the word "madrasa" come from? It comes from Arabic darasa, passing through Arabic before entering English (1620s).

Madrasa’s story begins in Arabic: darasa meant “to study.” Meant "he studied, he read repeatedly"; related to Hebrew darash, root of "midrash". Within Arabic, it grew into madrasah by medieval. Literally "a place of study," originally a generic word for any school. It reached English by 1620s as madrasa. Narrowed in English usage to mean specifically an Islamic religious school. Today, madrasa means an Islamic school or college, especially one for religious instruction.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval darasa "to study", meant "he studied, he read repeatedly"; related to Hebrew darash, root of "midrash".
2. Stage 2 · Arabic · medieval madrasah "school, place of learning", literally "a place of study," originally a generic word for any school.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1620s madrasa "Islamic school", narrowed in English usage to mean specifically an Islamic religious school.