Etymology
Which Italian word is "coffee" derived from?
Coffee
The first reference to coffee in the English language is in the form "chaoua", dated to 1598. In English and other European languages, "coffee" descends from the Italian word "caffè". In turn, "caffè" derives from "kahve", the Ottoman Turkish word for coffee, which is itself derived from the , "qahwah". Arab lexicographers maintain that "qahwah" originally referred to a type of wine, and gave its etymology, in turn, to the verb "qahā", signifying "to have no appetite", since this beverage was thought to dull one's hunger. Other proposed etymologies include tracing coffee to the word "quwwa," Arabic for power, or to the region of Kaffa in Ethiopia. For the latter etymology, some hold Arabs named it after the Kaffa region, but others with "equally little authority" say the region was named after the drink.