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- ABASA cutaneous disease; the scald-head. porrigo
- ABUNAThe Patriarch, or head of the Abyssinian Church.
- ACEQUIAAn irrigation ditch, chiefly with reference to Mexico or the southwestern US.
- ACKERSSynonym of money.
- ADHANThe call to prayer, usually recited by a muezzin before each of the five obligatory daily prayers.
- AFLAJAn irrigation system which catches mountain water and controls its movement down man-made subterranean channels, found in Oman.
- ALBACOREA longfin tuna, a large marine fish (Thunnus alalunga) of warm seas, having edible flesh.
- ALCAIDEThe governor or commander of a Spanish or Portuguese fortress or prison.
- ALCOVEA small recessed area set off from a larger room.
- ALFORJAA saddlebag.
- ALIFThe first letter of the Arabic alphabet: ا (ʔalif).
- ALKALINEOf, or relating to an alkali, one of a class of caustic bases.
- ALMAAn Egyptian female singer or dancing girl employed for entertainment or as a professional mourner.
- AMINAn arbitrator who assessed and collected revenue in the pargana.
- AMIRAlternative form of emir.
- ARABICEllipsis of gum arabic.
- ARABICISEDMade Arabic, as to customs, culture, pronunciation, spelling, or style
- ARAKA clear, unsweetened aniseed-flavoured alcoholic drink, produced and consumed primarily in the Levant.
- ARDEBA Middle Eastern unit of volume used for agricultural crops.
- ARSENALA military establishment for the storing, development, manufacturing, testing, or repairing of arms, ammunition, and other war materiel; an armoury.
- ARTICHOKEA plant related to the thistle with enlarged flower heads eaten as a vegetable while immature, Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus.
- ASKARIA member of a local African military or police unit, usually one serving in a European colonial force.
- ATHANORA furnace or stove designed and used to maintain uniform heat, primarily used by alchemists.
- AVERAGEAny measure of central tendency, especially any mean, the median, or the mode.
- AZIMUTHAn arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object.
- AZOTHThe first principle of metals, that is, mercury, which was formerly supposed to exist in all metals, and to be extractable from them.
- AZOTHSThe first principle of metals, that is, mercury, which was formerly supposed to exist in all metals, and to be extractable from them.
- AZUREThe clear blue colour of the sky; also, a pigment or dye of this colour.
- BABAA kind of sponge cake soaked in rum-flavoured syrup.
- BADMASHA rogue, ruffian or miscreant.
- BASHAWA pasha.
- BERDACHEAmong Native Americans, a person who identifies with any of a variety of gender identities which are not exclusively those of their biological sex; a transgender person.
- BEZOARA mass, usually of hair or undigested vegetable matter, found in a human or animal's intestines, similar to a hairball.
- BICHIRAny ray-finned fish of the genus Polypterus in the family Polypteridae, having elongated bodies covered in thick, bone-like, ganoid scales.
- BINTA woman, a girl.
- BULBULAny of several passerine songbirds, of the family Pycnonotidae (currently, 27 genera recognized), native to Africa and Eurasia.
- BULGURWheat grains that have been steamed, dried, and crushed; a staple of Middle Eastern cooking.
- BUQSHAA former currency unit of Yemen, worth one 40th of a rial.
- BURKAAlternative form of burqa.
- BURNOOSEA thick hooded cloak worn by Berbers and Arabs in Northwest Africa.
- BURQAAn enveloping Central Asian garment which covers the whole body, incorporating a netted screen to cover the eyes, chiefly worn by women in fundamentalist denominations of Islam to
- BWANABig boss, important person.
- CAFETERIAA restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
- CAFILAA caravan of travellers or supplies.
- CAIDA local governor or leader, especially in North Africa or Moorish Spain; an alcaide.
- CAMLETA fine fabric made from wool (originally camel, but later goat) and silk.
- CARAFEA bottle, usually glass and with a flared lip, used for serving water, wine, or other beverages.
- CAROBAn evergreen shrub or tree, Ceratonia siliqua, native to the Mediterranean region.
- CASBAHThe fortress in a city in North Africa or the Middle East.
- CHERMOULAA marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking, made with herbs, oil, lemons, garlic, cumin, and salt.
- CHOTTA dry salt lake, in the Saharan area of Africa, that stays dry in the summer but receives some water in the winter.
- CIPHERA numeric character.
- COFFEEA beverage made by infusing the beans of the coffee plant in hot water.
- COFFLEA line of people or animals fastened together, especially a chain of prisoners or slaves.
- COOZEPussy, vagina.
- COUSCOUSA pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.
- CURCUMINA polyphenol (1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione; a major constituent of the spice turmeric.
- DAMANThe rock hyrax.
- DARISynonym of sorghum.
- DAWAHIslamic proselytism, particularly through preaching
- DEENreligion; religiosity; the way of life of a pious Muslim
- DEENSreligion; religiosity; the way of life of a pious Muslim
- DHOWA traditional sailing vessel used along the coasts of Arabia, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean, generally having a single mast and a lateen sail.
- DIVANA Muslim council of state, specifically that of viziers of the Ottoman Empire that discussed and recommended new laws and law changes to a higher authority (the sultan).
- DOUARA camp or village of tents in a North African country.
- DOUMThe doum palm.
- DOURINEcovering sickness
- DUARA camp or village of tents in an Arabic country.
- EMIRA prince, commander or other leader or ruler in an Islamic nation.
- EYALETA former administrative division or province of the Ottoman Empire.
- FAKIRA religious mendicant who owns no personal property.
- FANGAA traditional Portuguese dry measure, equal to about 50–75 liters at different places and times.
- FAQIRAlternative spelling of fakir.
- FATWAA formal legal decree, opinion, or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority.
- FENNECA small fox of the species Vulpes zerda, found in the Sahara (excluding the coast) and having distinctive oversized ears.
- FIQHJurisprudence in the Islamic law, shari'a.
- FITNATemptation.
- GALOOTA clumsy or uncouth person.
- GAUZEA thin fabric with a loose, open weave.
- GENIEA jinn, a being descended from the jann, normally invisible to the human eye, but who may also appear in animal or human form.
- GHAZALA poetic form mostly used for love poetry in Middle Eastern, South, and Central Asian poetry.
- GHAZIA Muslim warrior who fights in war against non-Muslims, especially one who has won renown as a martial champion; often used as a title.
- GHIBLIsirocco
- GHOULA demon said to feed on corpses.
- GILETA waistcoat worn by a man. A bodice worn by a woman similar to a man's waistcoat; also, a decorative panel at the front of such a bodice, or worn separately.
- GIRAFFEA ruminant in the genus Giraffa of the African savannah with long legs, a highly elongated neck, yellow fur patterned with dark spots typically in the form of a network, and two or
- HADITHAn eyewitness account of a saying or action of Muhammad or sometimes one of his companions not otherwise found in the Quran.
- HAFIZA Muslim who has memorized the whole Qur'an.
- HAIKA covering for the head and body worn by Arabs.
- HAKAMAn arbitrator.
- HAKIMA doctor, usually practicing traditional medicine.
- HALALAllowable, according to Muslim religious customs, to have or do.
- HALLOUMIA traditional cheese from Cyprus, made from goat's and/or sheep's milk.
- HALVAA confection usually made from crushed sesame seeds and honey. It is a traditional dessert in South Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
- HAMALA porter in Turkey and nearby countries.
- HARAMA sin.
- HAREMThe private section of a Muslim household forbidden to male strangers.
- HAVILDARAn noncommissioned officer rank in parts of India, later a specific military rank of the British Indian Army and of the modern armies of India and Pakistan, equivalent to sergeant.
- HAZARDA game of chance played with dice, usually for monetary stakes, popular mainly from 14th c. to 19th c.
- HEGIRAA journey taken to escape from danger; an exodus.