The Arabic word falāfil is described as the plural of filfil, meaning “pepper.”
The Arabic term is linked to Persian pilpil or filfil, also meaning pepper, and is related to the Sanskrit word pippalī, meaning long pepper. Another proposed explanation connects the name with an Aramaic term associated with a small round object or peppercorn, so the etymology is not entirely uncontested.
The word refers to the fried fritters themselves, but in English it can also describe a sandwich made with them. English spellings have included falafel, felafel, filafel, and filafil.
The name does not mean bean, bread, or oil. Those words relate to ingredients or serving traditions rather than the word’s reported linguistic origin. The dish itself is generally considered Egyptian in origin, while chickpea-based versions became especially prominent across the Levant.