What is the origin of the Arabic word دزينة (dazina)?

Question

As a Semitic language, one would expect the word dozen to be rooted in Aramaic (such as תריסר in Hebrew). This is obviously not the case, as the word appears similar to "dozen", rooted in Latin.Is this indeed true? And if so, how did the Latin roots reach Arabic?

Answer 1

The word دزينة is not of Arabic origin. It is a loanword borrowed from the French douzaine, meaning a dozen. It entered Arabic through cultural and commercial contact.

Answer 2

Interesting question. My guess is that it probably happened during the 700+ years when Spain was occupied by Arabic-speaking Moroccans. Many Arabic words and phrases were incorporated in Spanish during that period in history, so it would make sense that Arabic borrowed some common words from Spanish as well.