spinach (English)
Where does "spinach" come from?
The word 'spinach' traces its roots back to the Classical Persian word 'ispanāx'. It traveled through Arabic and the Mediterranean languages, evolving into the Old Occitan 'espinarc' and Old French 'espinoche' before entering Middle English via Anglo-Norman.
Full etymology tree
- spinach (English), 'A particular edible plant, Spinacia oleracea, or its leaves.'
- inherited spinach (Middle English), 'spinach (Spinacia oleracea)'
- borrowed spinache (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited espinoche (Old French), 'spinach (vegetable)'
- borrowed espinarc (Old Occitan)
- borrowed إِسْفَانَاخ (ʔisfānāḵ) (Arabic)
- borrowed اسپناخ (ispanāx) (Persian), 'alternative form of اسفناج'
- borrowed سَبَانِخ (sabāniḵ) (Arabic), 'spinach'
- borrowed إِسْفَانَاخ (ʔisfānāḵ) (Arabic)
- borrowed espinarc (Old Occitan)
- inherited espinoche (Old French), 'spinach (vegetable)'
- borrowed spinache (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited spinach (Middle English), 'spinach (Spinacia oleracea)'
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris