Arroz
/aˈros/noun
Rice, especially as used in Spanish- or Portuguese-influenced cuisine.
Did you know?The Spanish and Portuguese form preserves Arabic influence: the initial a- reflects the Arabic definite article al-, which became fused to the borrowed word.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient period
Proto-Dravidian?
*arici / *variñci
“A proposed South Asian source connected with rice; the ultimate origin remains debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄρυζα (óruza)
“Rice; a major early Mediterranean form of the word.”
Early Islamic period
Arabic
الرُّزّ (ar-ruzz)
“Rice; Arabic al- fused with the borrowed noun.”
Medieval period
Old Spanish
arroz
“Rice, adopted through Arabic-speaking Iberia.”
Medieval period
Old Portuguese
arroz
“Rice; the form developed through the same Arabic Iberian route.”
Modern English
English
arroz
“A culinary loanword meaning rice, particularly in names of Spanish, Latin American, or Filipino dishes.”