sofa

Where does the word "sofa" come from? It comes from Arabic ṣuffa, passing through Ottoman Turkish and French before entering English (1700s).

Sofa’s story begins in Arabic: ṣuffa meant “raised bench, ledge.” A raised stone or wooden platform used for sitting. By c. 1600s, the word had taken hold in Ottoman Turkish as sofa. Came to describe a raised, cushioned seating area. From there it passed into French as sofa by c. 1690s. Adopted for fashionable upholstered seating. It reached English by 1700s as sofa. Settled as the word for an upholstered multi-seat couch. Today, sofa means a long upholstered seat for two or more people.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval ṣuffa "raised bench, ledge", a raised stone or wooden platform used for sitting.
2. Stage 2 · Ottoman Turkish · c. 1600s sofa "raised seating area", came to describe a raised, cushioned seating area.
3. Stage 3 · French · c. 1690s sofa "a cushioned seat", adopted for fashionable upholstered seating.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1700s sofa "an upholstered seat for several people", settled as the word for an upholstered multi-seat couch.