a. Forms: 4 Arabik, 5 -yke, -yque, 6–8 -ick(e, 7 -ique, 8 -eck(e, 8– Arabic. [a. OF. Arabic (13th c. in Litt.), ad. L. Arabicus.]
1. Of or pertaining to Arabia or its language. Arabic numerals: the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.
1661. Worthington, Epist. Hartlib, vii. in Misc. (1704), 247 (T.). What Way was there taken for spreading in the East his Arabick Translation of Grotius de Veritate Religionis Christianæ...?
1727–51. Chambers, Cycl., The Arabic characters stand contradistinguished to the Roman.
1858. Longf., M. Standish, I. 9. Its mystical Arabic sentence.
2. esp. in Gum arabic, which is exuded by certain species of Acacia, and Arabic acid, obtained from it.
[a. 1500. in Rel. Ant., I. 163. Put thereto iij ounces of gumme of Arabyke.
1590. Greene, Mourn. Garm. (1616), 9. The Arabick-tree, that yeelds no gumme but in the darke night.]
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Countr. Farm, 19 a. Adding thereto … Gum-arabecke, and Tragacanth.
1866. Treas. Bot., 5/1. Gum arabic is an exudation from various species of acacia.
3. absol. The language of the Arabs.
c. 1391. Chaucer, Astrol., 2. To arabiens in arabik.
1485. Caxton, Chas. Gt., 206. A cyte called Salancadys, in arabyque.
1611. Bible, Pref., 5. John Bishop of Siuil [is reported] to haue turned them [the Scriptures] into Arabicke.
1871. Earle, Philol. Eng. Tong., § 353. Those English (or rather European) nouns … derived from Arabic, as alchemy, alcohol, alcove, [etc.].
