alcachofa (Spanish)
Where does "alcachofa" come from?
The Spanish word 'alcachofa' traces its roots back to the Arabic 'al-ḵuršūf', which describes the artichoke. This term passed through Andalusian Arabic before entering Old Spanish as 'alcarchofa' around the 15th century. Interestingly, the word is likely composed of elements meaning 'thorn' and 'stick' from Middle Persian, reflecting the plant's distinct, spiky appearance.
Full etymology tree
- alcachofa (Spanish), 'artichoke'
- inherited alcarchofa (Old Spanish), 'artichoke'
- borrowed الخَرْشُوف (al-ḵaršūf) (Andalusian Arabic)
- derived الخُرْشُوف (al-ḵuršūf) (Arabic)
- derived خُرْشُوف (ḵuršūf) (Arabic), 'artichoke'
- derived *xār-čōp (Middle Persian)
- compound xār (Middle Persian)
- compound čōp (Middle Persian)
- derived 𒅈𒋢𒌒𒁍 (arsuppu) (Akkadian)
- derived *xār-čōp (Middle Persian)
- derived خُرْشُوف (ḵuršūf) (Arabic), 'artichoke'
- derived الخُرْشُوف (al-ḵuršūf) (Arabic)
- borrowed الخَرْشُوف (al-ḵaršūf) (Andalusian Arabic)
- inherited alcarchofa (Old Spanish), 'artichoke'
Ancestors
- alcarchofa (Old Spanish)
- خرشوف (Arabic)
Cognates and doublets
- carxofa (Catalan)
- artichoke (English)
- alcachofra (Portuguese)
Descendants and derived words
- alkatxofa (Basque)
- alkatsopas (Tagalog)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris