'albahaca' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'al-ḥabaqah', where 'al-' meant 'the' and 'ḥabaqah' meant 'basil'.

'al-ḥabaqah' transformed into the Spanish word 'albahaca', and eventually became the modern Spanish word 'albahaca'.

Initially, it meant 'basil', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.