'ardeb' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'ardab' (أردب), where the term referred to a measure or sack used for dry commodities.

'ardeb' passed into medieval and early modern European accounts (via Arabic and sometimes medieval Latin/French renderings) when describing Egyptian and Near Eastern measures; these usages in travel, trade, and administrative texts led to occasional appearances of the word in English.

Initially it meant 'a sack or measure for dry goods' in Arabic; over time European uses narrowed it to denote a local standardized unit of dry measure (with regional variations) when referring to Egyptian and Ottoman contexts.