Etymology

halva

H4A1L1V4A1

Today it means: A confection usually made from crushed sesame seeds and honey. It is a traditional dessert in South Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Full definition →

Yiddish חלווה ← Romanian halva ← Ottoman Turkish حلوا
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The story

  1. Arabic · derived fromحَلْوَى
  2. Persian · derived fromحلوا
  3. Ottoman Turkish · derived fromحلوا
  4. Romanian · derived fromhalva
  5. Yiddish · derived fromחלווה
  6. English todayhalva

From Yiddish חלווה (khálva), from Romanian halva, from Ottoman Turkish حلوا (helva), from Persian حلوا (halvâ), from Arabic حَلْوَى (ḥalwā). Cognate with Halwai.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.