alecrim (Portuguese)
Where does "alecrim" come from?
The Portuguese noun 'alecrim', meaning 'rosemary', was borrowed from Arabic 'اَلإِكْلِيل' ('al-ʔiklīl')[1]. This Arabic term is an ellipsis of 'إِكْلِيل الْجَبَل' ('ʔiklīl al-jabal'), which translates to 'rosemary'[1]. The Arabic base itself traces back through Aramaic 'כְْلִילָא' ('klila') or 'ܟܠܺܝܠܳܐ' ('klīlā'), meaning 'wreath', 'garland', or 'circlet'[2].
Full etymology tree
- alecrim (Portuguese), 'rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, syn. Rosmarinus officinalis)'
- borrowed اَلإِكْلِيل (al-ʔiklīl) (Arabic)
- derived إِكْلِيل (ʔiklīl) (Arabic)
- derived ܟܠܺܝܠܳܐ (klīlā) (Aramaic)
- borrowed 𒄃 (kilīlum) (Akkadian), 'Sumerogram of egērum (“to lie transversely across”)'
- orthographic borrowing 𒄃 (gilim) (Sumerian), 'alternative form of 𒄀𒄃 (ᵍⁱgilim /gilim/)'
- borrowed 𒄃 (kilīlum) (Akkadian), 'Sumerogram of egērum (“to lie transversely across”)'
- derived ܟܠܺܝܠܳܐ (klīlā) (Aramaic)
- derived إِكْلِيل (ʔiklīl) (Arabic)
- borrowed اَلإِكْلِيل (al-ʔiklīl) (Arabic)
Ancestors
- إكليل (Arabic)
Descendants and derived words
- alecrim dourado (Portuguese)
Sources
- alecrim (Portuguese) - Wiktionary
- إكليل (Arabic) - Wiktionary
- 𒄃 (kilīlum) (Akkadian) - Wiktionary
- כלילא (Aramaic) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris