The Spanish word 'alfombra' (meaning 'carpet') comes from the Hispano-Arabic word 'alḥánbal', which referred to a type of rug or carpet. This Hispano-Arabic term was formed by combining two Arabic elements: the definite article 'al-' (meaning 'the') and 'ḥanbal' (meaning 'carpet' or 'rug'). Over time, as the word was adopted into Spanish, the pronunciation shifted from 'alḥánbal' to 'alfombra', with the 'ḥ' sound becoming 'f' and 'b' becoming 'br', changes that made the word easier for Spanish speakers to pronounce.

Unlike many Spanish words that begin with 'al-' (which typically come from Arabic), there aren't many commonly used Spanish words that are directly related to 'alfombra'. This makes sense given that this word came into Spanish as a complete borrowed term for a specific object rather than being part of a larger word family.

There aren't any common English words directly related to 'alfombra' since it comes from Arabic origins and entered specifically into Spanish. However, English speakers might find it interesting that many Spanish words beginning with 'al-' (like 'alfombra', 'almohada', 'alcalde') come from Arabic, as this prefix was the Arabic definite article 'the'.