Etymograph

English

alferes

Alferes comes from Portuguese alferes ‘ensign’, and goes back to Arabic الفَارِس ‘the knight’.

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentالفَارِسal-fāris‘the knight’
  2. Portuguesec. 1500–presentalferes‘ensign’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1624same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentالفَارِسal-fāris‘the knight’
  2. Portuguesec. 1500–presentalferes‘ensign’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1624same form

Earliest quotation: 1624, Rule a Wife, and Have a Wife: “Is not this my Alferes? he looks another thing”.

The story

From Portuguese alferes, Spanish alférez, from Arabic الفَارِس (al-fāris, “the knight”), influenced in meaning by Latin aquilifer (‘standard-bearer’).

Every English word from Arabic الفَارِس

Today it means

noun An ensign; a standard-bearer.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Arabic الفَارِس / alferes

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