کف

See also: كف

Khalaj

Noun

کَم (kəm) (definite accusative کَمی, plural کَملَر)

1. Arabic spelling of kəm (“wooden border of a sieve”)

Declension

Declension of کف

	singular	plural
nominative	کف	کفلَر
genitive	کفۆݧ	کفلَریݧ
dative	کفکه	کفلَرکه
definite accusative	کفۆ	کفلَری
locative	کفچه	کفلَرچه
ablative	کفده	کفلَرده
instrumental	کفله	کفلَرله
equative	کفوارا	کفلَروارا

Persian

Pronunciation

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

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäf]

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

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæf]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäf]

Readings
Classical reading?	kaf
Dari reading?	kaf
Iranian reading?	kaf
Tajik reading?	kaf

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (kp /⁠kaf⁠/, “foam, slime”); compare Proto-Indo-Iranian *kapʰas (“phlegm, mucus”). Cognate with Khotanese khavä (“foam”), etc.

Noun

کف • (kaf) (plural کف‌ها (kaf-hâ))

1. foam
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 2676:

     حلم ایشان کف بحر حلم ماست / کف رود آید ولی دریا به جاست

     hilm-êšân kaf-i-bahr-i-hilm-i-mâ / kaf rawad âyad wali dariyâ ba jâ-st

     Their clemency is (but) the foam of the sea of My clemency: the foam comes and goes, but the sea is (always) there.

2. froth

Derived terms

• کف کردن (kaf kardan)

Descendants

• → Armenian: քափ (kʻapʻ)
• → Azerbaijani: kəf
• → Georgian: ქაფი (kapi)

References

• MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) “kaf”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, page 48

Etymology 2

From Arabic كَفّ (kaff).

Noun

کف • (kaf) (plural کف‌ها (kaf-hâ))

1. palm
2. applause
3. floor

Derived terms

• کف زدن (kaf zadan)

Descendants

• → Khalaj: kəf