324 Contributions to English Lewicography. 
Art. XV.—Contributions to English Lewicography ; by Prof. 
J. W. Gipss. 
No. I. Account of some Arabie Words found in English. 
Abuna, (Arab. G sah Ethiop. AN-4: our fae ; comp. Heb. 93°38 ;) 
the title of Christian priests in Syria; also of the primate of Abyssinia. 
Al, (Arab. if the; comp. Heb. “1, for 55 ;) a prefix to many words 
derived from the Arabic, which, however, has amalgamated with the 
noun itself, and lost its original significancy ; as, alcaid, alchimy, alko- 
ran, etc. 
Src 
Alcaid, (Arab. os a governor, with pref. if the, from oly to lead, 
govern ;) a name a of office among the Moors, Spaniards and Portu- 
guese. This word is not to be confounded with cadi, which has an 
entirely different origin. 
cs 
Alchimy, (Arab. \4+4= kimia, as if the hidden art, with pref.) 
the, from > to hide;) the more sublime and difficult parts of 
chimistry. Comp. chimistry. It is remarkable that Buchardsen ad- 
heres to the old derivation from Gr. 7éw. 
Sx 1c. 2 
Alcohol, (Arab. j= a pigment for the eyes made of the black 
cs Cour OI 
oxyd of antimony, with pref. oN the, from i to blacken or 
paint the eyes; comp. Heb. 5m> idem;) pure spirits. However diffi- 
cult it may be to show the connection between a pigment of antimony 
and pure spirits; yet the fact of the connection is evident from Span. 
alcohol, which unites these two significations. 
3 GB 2 
Alcove, (Arab. ae) kubba, an arch, with pref. ai the, from hide, 
conj. ii. 20 construct with an arch; comp. Heb. Map a chamber, dor- 
mitory, so called because arched, from 3a; to make ‘curved or hollow ; 3) 
a recess in a chamber to sit or lie in; hence a recess in a library UR 
I 44-CS 
Aldebaran, (Arab. ul, ssf liter. the follower, scil. of the Pleiades, from 
“f+ 7 
SO to follow ; comp. iHeb, 23 idem ;) a star of the first magnitude 
in the southern eye of the constellation Taurus. 
