The English title 'admiral' passed through Italian and French from an Arabic phrase meaning 'commander of the seas.' The route into English preserves a history of exchange between maritime languages and cultures. It also challenges the idea that naval power and vocabulary belong to an exclusively Western tradition. A familiar command title thus carries evidence of Arabic influence on European naval language.
Notable Point · 24:50-26:03
How 'admiral' preserves Arabic maritime history
A short linguistic aside uses the Arabic roots of 'admiral' to challenge the idea that naval power and naval vocabulary belong only to Western history.