Where does “caffeine” come from?
Caffeine comes from French caféine, derived from French café, which was borrowed from English coffee, from Dutch koffie, from Italian caffè, ultimately from Arabic قَهْوَة.
caffeine (English): An alkaloid, CHNO, found naturally in tea and...
Definitions
- An alkaloid, CHNO, found naturally in tea and...
Ancestry of “caffeine”, step by step
caffeine traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Caffein
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Caffein | Obsolete form of Koffein |
| 2 | German | Kaffee | coffee; afternoon coffee, coffee and cake |
| 3 | French | café | coffee; coffee colour; public house |
| 4 | Italian | caffè | coffee; a café |
| 5 | Turkish | kahve | coffee |
| 6 | Ottoman Turkish | قهوه | coffee |
| 7 | Persian | قهوه | coffee |
| 8 | Arabic | قهوة | wine; coffee; coffee shop, café |
via French caféine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | caféine | caffeine |