Abacus

Comes from the Greek word abax, which means "sand tray." Originally, columns of pebbles were laid out on the sand for purposes of counting.

[1350–1400; ME < L: board, counting board, re-formed < Gk ábax]

Alarm

From the Italian, "All'arme" -- "To arms!"

[1350–1400; ME alarme, alarom < MF < OIt allarme, n. from phrase all'arme to (the) arms. See ARM2]

Alcohol

This word comes from the Arabic al-kuhl, which originally meant a very fine powder of antimony used as eye makeup. It conveyed the idea of something very fine and subtle, and the Arab alchemists therefore gave the name of al-kuhl to any impalpable powder obtained by sublimation (the direct transformation of a solid into vapor, or the reverse process), and thus to all compounds obtained through the distillation process. Interestingly enough, both the still and the alcohol it produced were first invented by Islamic Arabs, who did not drink because their religion forbad it.

[1535–45; < NL < ML < Ar al-kuˆl the powdered antimony, the distillate]

Ballot

Italian term for "small ball or pebble." Italian citizens once voted by casting a small pebble or ball into one of several boxes.

[1540–50; (< MF ballotte) < It ballotta (prob. < Venetian), equiv. to ball(a) BALL1 + -otta dim. suffix]

Barbarian

From the Greek "barbaroi," meaning "babblers," used to mean non-Greeks, i.e., people who didn't speak Greek; from the sound that the Greeks thought they were making: "bar bar bar bar..."

[1540–50; < L barbari(a) barbarous country (see BARBAROUS, -IA) + -AN]

BARBAROUS

[1400–50; late ME < L barbarus < Gk bárbaros non-Greek, foreign, barbarian; akin to Skt barbara stammering, non-Aryan; see -OUS]

Biscuit

From the mediaeval French 'Bis + cuit' meaning 'cooked twice'

[1300–50; ME bysquyte < MF biscuit (ML biscoctus), var. of bescuit seamen's bread, lit., twice cooked, equiv. to bes BIS1 + cuit, ptp. of cuire < L coquere to COOK1]

Broke (In the sense of having no money)

Many banks in post-Renaissance Europe issued small, porcelain "borrower's tiles" to their creditworthy customers. Like credit cards, these tiles were imprinted with the owner's name, his credit limit, and the name of the bank. Each time the customer wanted to borrow money, he had to present the tile to the bank teller, who would compare the imprinted credit limit with how much the customer had already borrowed. If the borrower were past the limit, the teller "broke" the tile on the spot.