Around the Renaissance era a mixed language of Italian (80%) and many words from Turkish, French, Spanish, Greek and Arabic was used in the eastern region around the Mediterranean Sea It was in use as the language of commerce and diplomacy and was called lingua franca. At that time, in the port cities of the Ottoman empire there lived very many Italian speakers. "Franca" was the Italian word for "Frankish". Its usage in the term "lingua franca" came from its meaning in Arabic. That word came into use before the Crusades, when Europeans used to be called "Franks" or "Faranji" in Arabic. The term "lingua franca" is first recorded in English in 1678.