English owes a surprising debt to Persian. Because of the Silk Road and the later British presence in India, many Persian words travelled through Greek, Latin, or Hindi before landing in English. These words often carry a sense of exoticism, antiquity, or high-level craftsmanship. Here are 100 sophisticated words with Persian roots.

Most of these words entered English through three main “gates”:

• The Crusades: Bringing back words for luxury and war (Azure, Scimitar).
• The Silk Road: Trade words for food and fabric (Orange, Taffeta, Saffron).
• The British Raj: The 200-year occupation of India where Persian was the official court language, giving us administrative and daily terms (Khaki, Pajamas, Jungle).

Many of these words (Arsenic, Borax, Talc, Naphtha) owe their presence in English to the Golden Age of Persian Science. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, Persian scientists like Razi and Avicenna were the world leaders in chemistry and medicine. When their books were translated into Latin in medieval European universities, these Persian technical terms became the foundation of Western science.