Is 'algorithm' English, or is it actually Arabic?

'Algorithm' is a word borrowed from Arabic 'al-Ḵwārizmī'. The word entered the English language some time around 1926.

algorithm [noun] [1926]

• a procedure for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatest common divisor) in a finite number of steps ...
• a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end especially by a computer

See 'algorithm' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from Arabic.

Etymology: Alteration of Middle English 'algorisme' from Old French & Medieval Latin; Old French, from Medieval Latin 'algorismus' from Arabic 'al-khuwārizmi' from 'al-Khwārizmī fl'

See more loan words from 1920s.