כלב

See also: כּלבֿ

Hebrew

Root
כ־ל־ב (k-l-b)
6 terms

כלב

Etymology 1.1

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *kalb-.

Pronunciation

• (reconstructed Biblical) IPA^(key): /kalb/
• (Tiberian) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛlɛv/, [ˈkʰɛː.lɛv]
• (Yemenite) IPA^(key): /ˈkalav/, [ˈkʰæːlæv]
• (Modern Israeli) IPA^(key): /ˈkelev/

Noun

כֶּלֶב • (kélev, kɛ́lɛḇ) m (plural indefinite כְּלָבִים, singular construct כֶּלֶב־, plural construct כַּלְבֵי־, feminine counterpart כַּלְבָּה) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. dog (the species Canis familiaris (sometimes designated Canis lupus familiaris), domesticated for thousands of years and of highly variable appearance because of human breeding)
   • Tanach, Psalms 22:16, with translation of the King James Version:

     כִּי סְבָבוּנִי כְּלָבִים

     kí svavúni klavím

     For dogs have compassed me

2. (derogatory) scoundrel, bitch

Declension

Declension of כֶּלֶב

	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
				m	f	m	f
masculine singular	indefinite	כֶּלֶב	first	כַּלְבִּי		כַּלְבֵּנוּ
	definite	הַכֶּלֶב	second	כַּלְבְּךָ	כַּלְבֵּךְ	כַּלְבְּכֶם	כַּלְבְּכֶן
	construct	כֶּלֶב־	third	כַּלְבּוֹ	כַּלְבָּהּ	כַּלְבָּם	כַּלְבָּן
masculine plural	indefinite	כְּלָבִים	first	כלביי / כְּלָבַי		כְּלָבֵינוּ
	definite	הַכְּלָבִים	second	כְּלָבֶיךָ	כלבייך / כְּלָבַיִךְ	כַּלְבֵיכֶם	כַּלְבֵיכֶן
	construct	כַּלְבֵי־	third	כְּלָבָיו	כְּלָבֶיהָ	כַּלְבֵיהֶם	כַּלְבֵיהֶן
feminine singular	indefinite	כַּלְבָּה	first	כַּלְבָּתִי		כַּלְבָּתֵנוּ
	definite	הַכַּלְבָּה	second	כַּלְבָּתְךָ	כַּלְבָּתֵךְ	כַּלְבַּתְכֶם	כַּלְבַּתְכֶן
	construct	כַּלְבַּת־	third	כַּלְבָּתוֹ	כַּלְבָּתָהּ	כַּלְבָּתָם	כַּלְבָּתָן
feminine plural	indefinite	כְּלָבוֹת	first	כלבותיי / כַּלְבוֹתַי		כַּלְבוֹתֵינוּ
	definite	הַכְּלָבוֹת	second	כַּלְבוֹתֶיךָ	כלבותייך / כַּלְבוֹתַיִךְ	כַּלְבוֹתֵיכֶם	כַּלְבוֹתֵיכֶן
	construct	כַּלְבוֹת־	third	כַּלְבוֹתָיו	כַּלְבוֹתֶיהָ	כַּלְבוֹתָם	כַּלְבוֹתָן

Derived terms

• כֶּלֶב זְאֵב (kélev ze'év)
• כֶּלֶב כְּנַעֲנִי (kélev kna'aní)
• כֶּלֶב־יָם (kélev-yam)
• כֶּלֶב־נָהָר (kélev-nahár)
• כְּלַבְלַב (klavláv)
• כַּלְבָן (kalván)
• כַּלֶּבֶת (kalévet)
• קור כלבים / קֹר כְּלָבִים (kor klavím)

References

• H3611 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987), “כֶּלֶב”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 276c
• “כלב” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• כלב on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Etymology 1.2

Related to כֶּלֶב (kélev, “dog”) above.

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli) IPA^(key): /kaˈlev/

Proper noun

כָּלֵב • (kalév) m

1. a male given name, Caleb
   • Tanach, 1 Chronicles 2:18, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וְכָלֵב בֶּן חֶצְרוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת עֲזוּבָה אִשָּׁה וְאֶת יְרִיעוֹת וְאֵלֶּה בָנֶיהָ יֵשֶׁר וְשׁוֹבָב וְאַרְדּוֹן

     Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

   • Tanach, 1 Chronicles 2:50, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     אֵלֶּה הָיוּ בְּנֵי כָלֵב בֶּן חוּר בְּכוֹר אֶפְרָתָה שׁוֹבָל אֲבִי קִרְיַת יְעָרִים

     These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the first-born of Ephrathah: Shobal father of Kiriath-jearim.

   • Tanach, 1 Chronicles 4:15, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וּבְנֵי כָּלֵב בֶּן יְפֻנֶּה עִירוּ אֵלָה וָנָעַם וּבְנֵי אֵלָה וּקְנַז

     The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the sons of Elah: Kenaz.

Persian

Noun

כלב • (kalb)

1. Judeo-Persian spelling of کلب (kalb)
   • 1600s, Elisha ben Shmūel, translated by Dalia Yasharpour, The Prince and the Sufi: The Judeo-Persian Rendition of the Buddha Biographies, Brill, published November 9, 2020:

     צֿנאן גשתה וֿגִודש פיש מן כֿאר
     כה פנדארם כם‭‬ אז כלבסת צד באר

     čenin gašte vojud-aš piš-e man xâr
     ke pendâram kam az kalb ast sad bâr

     His existence for me has become so base
     That I view him infinitely lower than a dog.

Yiddish

Noun

כלב • (kelev) m, plural כלבים (klovem)

1. (nonstandard) Unpointed form of כּלבֿ (kelev).