Ever wondered 'Where does the word coffee come from?'
Adapted by multiple languages around the world to refer to the rich flavours of our favourite brew. The original word comes from the Arabic ‘Qahwa’, which then got translated to Turkish ‘kahve’, then to Dutch ‘koffie’, and finally to the English word ‘coffee’. But there’s more to it.
During the early days of coffee consumption in Yemen and Ethiopia, coffee was mostly known as the drink made with the beans rather than having a name of its own. Known as Bunn, which is the Arabic word for bean, coffee was known as the drink made from ground seeds from Arabia and Abyssinia. It is also believed to have originated from the Kaffa Region of Ethiopia which might have given its name. The specific name for coffee bean is Bunn, ‘Ahwa’ is used for drink, the prefix ‘qhh’ used for referring to stimulating and dark colour. Coffee was called ‘Qahhwat al bunn’ which translates to ‘Wine of the bean’. Qahwa is a shortened form of the phrase.
‘Qahwa’ is still used today to refer to Arabic coffee. According to some etymologists it is also a similar word for wine, spirit or generally a beverage with stimulating effects. Other theories suggest, the word could have been taken from ‘Qahiya’ which meant lack of hunger due to its appetite suppressant properties or from ‘quwwa’ translating to power or energy.
When the Turkish started drinking coffee, they adapted the name to ‘kahve’. Since they had control over the trade routes to Europe, they introduced it to countries like Italy, France Netherlands and many others.
Italy called it Caffè
France called it Café
The Dutch called it Koffie, which ultimately got adopted into the English language in 1582 as ‘Coffee’
In Asia, coffee was spread by Arab Traders who smuggled coffee beans to countries like India, while Vietnam and Indonesia were introduced to coffee during colonisation. Mainly referred to as Kappi or Kopi, the drink spread between the 17th and 19th centuries.
Other coffee related terms like ‘Coffee beans’ are mentioned in the 1680’s while ‘Coffee mill’ was first mentioned in the 1690’s. Evidence of ‘Coffee pot’ as a word can be found in 1705 and ‘coffee break’ in 1952.
Language is like a game of telephone - The more players interact the more the word changes. Coffee as a word has gone through so many iterations making it sound completely different to the original word.
