Nargil
/ˈnɑːrɡɪl/noun
A coconut palm or coconut, especially in South Asian and Middle Eastern usage.
Did you know?The same Persian-derived word also gave rise to nargileh, the water pipe whose name spread through the Ottoman world.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Sanskrit
Sanskrit
nārikela
“Coconut or coconut palm; the earliest widely cited source of the word family.”
Medieval period
Middle Persian
nār(a)gīl
“Coconut; the term entered Persian through long-distance trade and cultural contact.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
nāranjīl
“Coconut, borrowed from Persian.”
Ottoman period
Ottoman Turkish
nargile
“A water pipe, named after the coconut shell historically used in parts of its construction.”
18th–19th Century
European languages
nargileh / narghile
“A hookah or water pipe, borrowed through Turkish and Arabic forms.”
Modern English
English
nargil
“A coconut palm or coconut, preserved as a regional or specialized loanword.”