The name 'Allah' is derived from the Arabic word الإله (al-ʾilah), meaning 'the deity'. It is primarily used to refer to the Islamic God, but it was originally used by pre-Islamic Arabs and is sometimes used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews to refer to their god. The word implies the superiority or sole existence of one God, though historically, it was part of a pantheon of deities worshipped by pre-Islamic Arabs.