The linguistic exchange between different languages over the centuries reflects a rich and complex linguistic history that parallels the deep cultural exchange. The longevity of hundreds of Arabic terms that have become part of everyday English use after undergoing phonetic and semantic changes suggests the deep cultural imprint that has been transmitted alongside the basics of communication. This article explores the impact of linguistic exchange between Arabic and English. It examines the semantic scope and enduring linguistic heritage that English has inherited through centuries of continuous borrowing from Arabic. The origin of the spread of Arabic dates back to the Middle Ages, where Arabic vocabulary accumulated in the English lexicon over the centuries due to close cultural contact through scientific research, trade, imperial administration, and migration. The analysis of the English assimilation mechanisms that transferred Arabic words into English morphology reveals that they followed natural patterns of phonetic and linguistic adaptation over time. These Arabic terms were integrated into English through a process of phonetic and linguistic adaptation, which led to changes in their pronunciation and spelling. An evaluation of primary historical documents from medieval monks to the East India Company shows that the active use of available Arabic borrowings in the English lexicon peaked during periods of maximum cultural contact such as the Crusades and British colonialism. However, even outside these periods, the enduring legacy of Arabic continues through hundreds of terms that maintain a higher relative frequency to this day than other language donors such as Latin. This research combines the analysis of etymological and experimental evidence of transmission depth to demonstrate that Arabic collectively constitutes one of the most important contributors to the formation of English vocabulary over the past millennium.
