Where does “kelam” come from?
kelam (Malay) comes from Northern Kurdish kelem, from Arabic كلم, from Classical Persian گلیم, from Ancient Greek κάλυμμα, from Ancient Greek καλύπτω, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
Ancestry of “kelam”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Kurdish | kelem | cabbage |
| 2 | Arabic | كلم | to speak, to talk, to address; bite, bitemark;... |
| 3 | Classical Persian | گلیم | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κάλυμμα | A head covering, a hood, a veil; A fishing net... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | καλύπτω | to cover; to put over as a covering |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |