IN GREEK
κουραμπιές
kourabies
almond shortbread dusted in icing sugar
IN TURKISH
kurabiye
kurabiye
biscuit or cookie in general
WEAR THE WORD
κουραμπιές in blue ink and kurabiye in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Persian
- CATEGORY
- Food
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Turkish kurabiye covers biscuits generally; Greek κουραμπιές names one specific festive shortbread.
- NOTES
- From Arabic ghurayba. Greek received the word through Turkish. Nişanyan says kurabiye is borrowed from Persian gulābiya, a rosewater pastry, not from Arabic.
COMMENTS
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SOURCES
- Nişanyan Sözlük (checked online)
Etymologies are checked against the dictionaries and studies listed. An entry is stamped settled only when both the Greek and the Turkish side have been checked. Research for this ledger was compiled with AI assistance and reviewed by the editors.
HOW TO CITE THIS ENTRY
Gold, K. (ed.) (2026) ‘κουραμπιές / kurabiye’, entry 027, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/027-kourabies/. Accessed [day month year].