Czech question. Is "zahrady" from Arabic?

ZAHRADA (plural ZAHRADY) is not from Arabic. The similarity between the two words is coincidental. There are two possible etymologies for this word in Czech.

HRADIT - means "to fence in"

Therefore "zahrada" simply means a fenced in area. Similarly "ohrada" means enclosure or yard. "Přehrada" can mean barrier (such as a fence or a dam on a river).

This is the most likely etymological explanation, however some people claim that "zahrada" is an archaic way of saying "behind a castle/fort" (in modern Czech this would be "Za hradu"). Similarly, "přehrada" could mean "in front of a castle/fort" if the prefix "PŘE" comes from the preposition "před". The word "ohrada" could mean "around a castle/fort". In my opinion however "PŘE" does not carry the meaning "in front of" but rather "ACROSS" and thus "přehrada" means "building across something" - such as a dam, barrier. This is probably a folk etymology.

Below are some Czech words that are Arabic in origin:

algebra - algebra

alchymie* - alchemy

chemie* - chemistry

alkohol - alchohol

albatros - albatross

amulet - amulet, charm

kabel - line, cable

magazín - periodical, magazine (artillery)

talisman - charm, talisman

nafta - rock oil

* debated

Hope this helps!

That is a very interesting observation, and I am not really at all sure, but from the looks of it you might be onto something. As Arabic is a semitic language and Czech is Slavic, that can't be the cross, which leads me to believe that they could wither be completely and coincidentally unrelated, it could have been picked up into either language from the other a long time ago, or the word has something to do with a religious thing...like a garden named zahradia or something. I myself am studying Czech and am good friends with three exchange students that attend my school from the country, so I can consult them. Sorry for the vague answer, but I can look into it more tomorrow with one of my friends if you would like.

zahrady is a conjunction of two common czech words: "za" (beyond) and hrad(y) (castle).

ie, outside/beyond the walls of the castle/stronghold.