Falafel
/fəˈlɑːfəl/noun
A dish of spiced, fried balls or patties made from chickpeas or fava beans.
Did you know?The word is widely thought to come into Arabic from a Coptic or related Egyptian form, and the dish itself became a powerful marker of regional identity long before it went global.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
falafel
“A popular fried Middle Eastern snack made from ground legumes and spices.”
19th–20th Century
Arabic
فلافل (falāfil)
“Plural form used for the dish, especially in Egyptian Arabic.”
Earlier Arabic
Arabic
فلافل (falāfil)
“Likely a plural or expressive formation associated with small round fritters.”
Possibly Coptic / Egyptian
Coptic
ⲫⲁⲗⲁⲫⲗⲁ / related forms
“Uncertain ancestor proposed by some scholars; exact source is not firmly established.”