Learn Arabic › B1 › قَلَم
قَلَم
pen /ˈqa.lam/
nounB1#2071 most common
Also: pencil, reed pen
Example sentences
هٰذَا قَلَمٌ.
This is a pen.
أَيْنَ قَلَمِي؟
Where is my pen?
أَكْتُبُ الدَّرْسَ بِالقَلَمِ.
I write the lesson with the pen.
اِشْتَرَيْتُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَقْلَامٍ مِنَ المَتْجَرِ.
I bought three pens from the store.
أَعْطِنِي قَلَمًا أَحْمَرَ لِأُصَحِّحَ الأَخْطَاءَ.
Give me a red pen so I can correct the mistakes.
قِيلَ إِنَّ القَلَمَ أَقْوَى مِنَ السَّيْفِ، وَبِهِ تُبْنَى الأُمَمُ.
It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, and with it nations are built.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | قَلَمٌ | أَقْلَامٌ |
| Genitive | قَلَمٍ | أَقْلَامٍ |
| Accusative | قَلَمًا | أَقْلَامًا |
| Vocative | يَا قَلَمُ | يَا أَقْلَامُ |
Word family
قَلَّمَto trim, to prune
تَقْلِيمtrimming, pruning
أَقْلَامpens
مِقْلَمَةpencil case
Etymology
Arabic قَلَم comes from a Semitic root meaning to cut or trim, since early pens were reeds cut to a point. The word was borrowed from Greek kalamos, meaning reed. The Greek term itself passed into Latin as calamus. Arabic then spread قلم into Persian, Turkish, and other languages of the Islamic world.
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