baraka
|ba-ra-ka|
🇺🇸
/bəˈrɑkə/
🇬🇧
/bəˈrɑːkə/
divine blessing
Etymology
'baraka' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'barakah' (بركة), where the Semitic root 'b-r-k' meant 'to bless' or 'be blessed'.
'baraka' changed from Arabic 'barakah' into languages such as Swahili (as 'baraka') and was later borrowed into English in the 19th–20th centuries through religious, colonial, and anthropological contact, becoming the modern English borrowing 'baraka'.
Initially it meant 'blessing' in Arabic; over time in English the sense broadened to include 'spiritual power or charisma' and more general 'good fortune' or 'auspiciousness'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a blessing or divine favor believed to be present in people, objects, or places.
Many villagers believed the old shrine possessed baraka.
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Noun 2
in Islamic and Sufi contexts, a spiritual power or charisma believed to be transmitted through saints, relics, or lineages.
The Sufi master was said to carry great baraka that healed and inspired followers.
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Noun 3
a source of good fortune or auspiciousness; luck associated with an object or person.
They treated the amulet as a source of baraka for the family.
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Last updated: 2026/01/13 15:14