salep

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Etymology

Borrowed from French salep, from Turkish salep, from Arabic سَحْلَب (saḥlab, “type of orchid”). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Arabic word is said to be a contraction of خُصَى الثَعْلَب (ḵuṣā aṯ-ṯaʕlab, “fox testicles”) (الثَعْلَب (aṯ-ṯaʕlab, “fox”) + خُصًى (ḵuṣan, “testicles”)), referring to the testicle-like root tubers.

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