turmeric

Turmeric comes from Middle English turmeryte or tarmaret, though no one is certain where that came from. It may be a corruption of the Arabic word for the Curcuma plant, or it could descend from Old French terre mérite, meaning 'deserving earth' — possibly invented as a folk explanation for the Arabic term.

The word's form barely settled before its origin blurred; even in Middle English its spelling wavered between turmeryte and tarmaret, suggesting people were already reaching for a story to explain a sound they'd borrowed.

The facts suggest a link to Curcuma, the Arabic-derived name for the plant itself, though no other English cognates are given.