Kahveh

Kahveh is a term found in some historical and transliteration contexts as a variant of the word for coffee. In modern Turkish, the beverage is called kahve, and the word kahvehane refers to a coffeehouse. The spelling kahveh appears mainly in older European-language texts and in dictionaries that render Ottoman Turkish or Persian pronunciations for Latin readers.

Etymology: The word ultimately derives from the Arabic qahwa, via Ottoman Turkish kahve. The form kahveh with a final -h is an older transliteration used by some Western scholars and in 16th–18th century sources, before standardization of Turkish spelling.

Historical context: The introduction of coffee to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century coincided with the emergence of coffeehouses, or kahvehane, which became centers of conversation, music, and commerce. In Western Europe, the term's variants often appear in travel writing and early linguistic studies.

Legacy and usage: Today kahveh is rarely used in Turkish or other modern varieties; it is encountered mainly in historical texts or linguistic discussions about transliteration and the spread of the word coffee. Modern forms include kahve (Turkish) and qəhvə (Azerbaijani) spellings, reflecting regional pronunciations and orthographic standards. Related terms include qahwa (Arabic origin) and kahvehane, the term for a coffeehouse.