A historical type of inn, warehouse, or trading post found in North African and Middle Eastern cities, used by merchants traveling along trade routes.
From Arabic 'fundūq,' which may derive from Greek 'pandocheion' (inn) or be of Semitic origin. The word entered European languages through trade contacts, appearing in English by the 16th century.
The fondouk is a perfect example of how language travels with commerce—this Arabic word spread to English, French, Spanish, and Italian because merchants dealing with North Africa and the Levant needed a word for these essential trading establishments that dotted the Saharan routes.
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