Nargile
/ˈnɑːrɡɪli/noun
A hookah or water pipe, especially one associated with Turkish or Middle Eastern usage.
Did you know?The word traveled from South Asian names for the coconut into Arabic and Persian before becoming Turkish nargile, reflecting the coconut shell’s role in early water-pipe construction.
Etymological Timeline
Sanskrit, Ancient India
Sanskrit
nārikela
“Coconut; the term’s ultimate source, though its deeper origin is uncertain and may involve a Dravidian language.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
nārijīl
“Coconut; a form borrowed from the South Asian term.”
Medieval Persian
Persian
nārgīl
“Coconut, and by extension the coconut shell used in early pipe construction.”
17th Century
Ottoman Turkish
nargile
“A water pipe or hookah, named through the coconut-shell vessel associated with it.”
Modern English
English
nargile
“A hookah or water pipe; also found in the variant forms narghile and nargileh.”