Etymograph

English

taifa

Taifa comes from Spanish taifa ‘side, faction’, and goes back to Arabic طَائِفَة.

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentطَائِفَة1ṭāʔifa‘sect, faction’
  2. Spanishc. 1500–presenttaifa1‘side, faction’
  3. Englishtodaytaifa1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English taifa

Lineage

  1. Arabicc. 500–presentطَائِفَةWiktionary, English taifaṭāʔifa‘sect, faction’
  2. Spanishc. 1500–presenttaifaWiktionary, English taifa‘side, faction’
  3. EnglishtodaytaifaWiktionary, English taifa

Every English word from Arabic طَائِفَة

Today it means

noun A Muslim principality on the Iberian Peninsula during the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “taifa”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Arabic طَائِفَة / taifa

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