tangerine

Where does the word "tangerine" come from? It comes from Arabic Tanja, and was adopted directly into English (1840s).

Tangerine’s story begins in Arabic: Tanja meant “the city of Tangier.” The port city of Tangier in Morocco, from which the citrus fruit was first exported. It reached English by 1840s as tangerine. Coined for the small, sweet citrus fruit shipped from Tangier. Today, tangerine means a small, sweet citrus fruit with easily peeled skin.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval Tanja "the city of Tangier", the port city of Tangier in Morocco, from which the citrus fruit was first exported.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1840s tangerine "a small, sweet orange citrus fruit", coined for the small, sweet citrus fruit shipped from Tangier.