کم

See also: كم and گم

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian 𐭪𐭬 (km /⁠kam⁠/, “little, small”),^[1] from Proto-Iranian *kam(b)-na- (“small”), from Proto-Iranian *kamb- (“small”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kambʰ (“few, small, insignificant”), probably related to Proto-Indo-European *ken- (“to arise, begin; new, fresh”).^[2]

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [kam]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäm]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäm]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰäm]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰäm]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæm]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäm]

Readings
Classical reading?	kam
Dari reading?	kam
Iranian reading?	kam
Tajik reading?	kam

Adjective

کم • (kam) (comparative کم‌تَر (kam-tar), superlative کم‌تَرین (kam-tarin))

Dari	کم
Iranian Persian
Tajik	кам

1. few, little

   Synonyms: خجاره (xojâre), اندک (andak)

   Antonyms: زیاد (ziyâd), خیلی (xeyli)

2. scarce, rare, lacking

Usage notes

Unlike most comparatives and superlatives, کم‌تر (kam-tar), and کم‌ترین (kam-tarin) are frequently written joined, as کمتر (kamtar) and کمترین (kamtarin)

Derived terms

(compound verbs)

• کم کردن (kam kardan, “to reduce, to lessen”)
• کم شدن (kam šodan, “to be diminished, to be reduced”)
• کم آمدن (kam âmadan, “to run short, to become lacking”)
• کم گرفتن (kam gereftan, “to slight, to look down on”)
• کم دادن (kam dâdan, “to shortchange”)

(others)

• کم‌خوابی (kam-xâbi)
• کم‌خونی (kam-xuni)
• کم‌حرف (kam-harf)
• کمرنگ (kamrang)
• کم‌کم (kam-kam)
• کم‌بخت (kam-baxt)

Descendants

• Indic:
  • Assamese: কম (kom)
  • Bengali: কম (kom)
  • Baluchi: کم
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: कम (kam), कम- (kam-)

    Urdu: کم (kam)

  • Kashmiri: کم (km)
  • Marathi: कमी (kamī)
  • Nepali: कम (kam)
  • Odia: କମ (kama)
  • → Punjabi:

    Gurmukhi script: ਕਮ (kam)

    Shahmukhi script: کم (kam)

  • Santali: ᱠᱚᱢ (kôm)
  • → Tamil: கம்மி (kammi)
• → Azerbaijani: kəm
• → Bashkir: кәм (kəm, “insufficient, scarce; inferior”)
  • → Phalura: kam
• → Kazakh: кем (kem)
• → Tatar: ким (kim)
• → Uzbek: kam
• → Yagnobi: кам (kam)

Etymology 2

Noun

کم • (kom)

1. (dialectal, Khesht, Konartakhteh, Dashtestan) Alternative form of شکم (šekam, “belly; abdomen; tummy; stomach”)

Derived terms

• کم‌گنده (kom-gonde, “potbellied”)

Etymology 3

Pronoun

کم • (kam)

1. (dialectal, Khesht, Konartakhteh) Alternative form of کدام (kodâm, “which”)

References

1. Nourai, Ali (2011) “Kamma, Quômn, Sqombh-no”, in An Etymological Dictionary of Persian, English and other Indo-European Languages, page 208
2. Edelʹman, D. I. (2011) “*kamb- : kab-, *kambna- : kabna-”, in Etimologičeskij slovarʹ iranskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages] (in Russian), volume 4, Moscow: Vostochnaya Literatura, page 193

Punjabi

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit 𑀓𑀫𑁆𑀫 (kamma), from Sanskrit कर्म (karma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəmːᵊ/

Noun

کَمّ • (kamm) m (Gurmukhi spelling ਕੰਮ)

1. work, job, task

Further reading

• “کم”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2024

Southwestern Fars

Noun

کم (kom)

1. (Masarm, Deh Sarv, Kuzarg) belly
2. (Masarm, Deh Sarv, Kuzarg) abdomen
3. (Masarm, Deh Sarv, Kuzarg) tummy
4. (Masarm, Deh Sarv, Kuzarg) stomach

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian کم (kam, “little, few”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kəm/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

کَم • (kam) (indeclinable, comparative کَمْتَر (kamtar), superlative کَمتَرِین (kamtarīn), Hindi spelling कम)

1. less (in lower degree; to smaller extent)

   Antonyms: زیادَہ (zyāda), بَہُت (bahut)

2. little (not much)

   Synonym: تھوڑا (thoṛā)

   Antonyms: زیادَہ (zyāda), بَہُت (bahut)

Derived terms

• کَم اَز کَم (kam az kam)

Adverb

کَم • (kam) (Hindi spelling कम)

1. less (in lower degree; to smaller extent)

   Antonyms: زیادَہ (zyāda), بَہُت (bahut)

2. little (not much)

   Synonym: تھوڑا (thoṛā)

   Antonyms: زیادَہ (zyāda), بَہُت (bahut)

Determiner

کَم • (kam) (Hindi spelling कम)

1. few

   Antonym: بَہُت (bahut)