Where does “кем” come from?

кем (Kazakh) comes from Persian کم, from Middle Persian 𐭪𐭬 — little, small.

кем (Kazakh): lesser, smaller, fewer

Definitions

  1. lesser, smaller, fewer

Ancestry of “кем”, step by step

кем traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Persian کم

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Persianکمfew; little; small
2Middle Persian𐭪𐭬little, small

via Proto-Turkic kem

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Turkickemwho

Words derived from “кем”

Every word from Middle Persian 𐭪𐭬 →Every word from Persian کم →
кем — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer