كلا

See also: گلا‎ and کلا‎

Arabic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *kilʾ-.

Pronoun

كِلَا • (kilā) m (feminine كِلْتَا‎ (kiltā))

1. both
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 17:23:

     ‏۞ وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوۤا۟ إِلَّاۤ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلۡوَ ٰ⁠لِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَـٰنًاۚ إِمَّا يَبۡلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلۡكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَاۤ أَوۡ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَاۤ أُفࣲّ وَلَا تَنۡهَرۡهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوۡلࣰا كَرِيمࣰا‎

     wa-qaḍā rabbuka ʾallā taʿbudū ʾillā ʾiyyāhu wa-bi-l-walidayni ʾiḥsanan ʾimmā yabluḡanna ʿindaka l-kibara ʾaḥaduhumā ʾaw kilāhumā fa-lā taqul lahumā ʾuffin wa-lā tanharhumā wa-qul lahumā qawlan karīman

     And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 18:33:

     ‏كِلۡتَا ٱلۡجَنَّتَيۡنِ ءَاتَتۡ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمۡ تَظۡلِم مِّنۡهُ شَيۡـࣰٔاۚ وَفَجَّرۡنَا خِلَـٰلَهُمَا نَهَرࣰا‎

     kiltā l-jannatayni ʾātat ʾukulahā wa-lam taẓlim minhu šayʾan wa-fajjarnā ḵilalahumā naharan

     Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river.

Usage notes

• كِلَا‎ (kilā) inflects for gender to match the noun or pronoun it modifies. It only inflects for case when followed by a pronoun; when followed by a noun, it is always in the nominative case regardless of syntax. The following noun or pronoun is always in the genitive dual (an idafa construction). Thus ‏بِكِلْتَا يَدَيْهِ‎ ― bikiltā yadayhi ― "with both his hands" has the nominative form كِلْتَا‎ (kiltā), despite the syntax calling for a genitive, but ‏بِكِلْتَيْهِمَا‎ ― bikiltayhimā ― "with both of them (fem.)" uses the genitive form كِلْتَيْ‎ (kiltay) in the same syntactic context.

Declension

Declension of pronoun كِلَا (kilā)

Dual	Masculine			Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	—	—	كِلَيْ‎ kilay	—	—	كِلْتَيْ‎ kiltay
Nominative	—	—	كِلَا kilā	—	—	كِلْتَا‎ kiltā
Accusative	—	—	كِلَيْ‎ kilay	—	—	كِلْتَيْ‎ kiltay
Genitive	—	—	كِلَيْ‎ kilay	—	—	كِلْتَيْ‎ kiltay

Etymology 2

Interjection

كَلَّا • (kallā)

1. (expressing disagreement, denial, or contradiction) no; no way, absolutely not; never, by no means

   Antonym: بَلَى‎ (balā)

   ‏كَلَّا ثُمَّ كَلَّا‎ ― kallā ṯumma kallā ― no and no again, a thousand times no, over my dead body, not on my life

2. (expressing emphasis) indeed, verily
   1. (expressing disapproval or reprimanding) no!
      • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 102:

        ‏أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ / حَتَّى زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ / كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ / ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ / كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ / لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ / ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ / ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيمِ‎

        ʔalhākumu t-takāṯuru / ḥattā zurtumu l-maqābira / kallā sawfa taʕlamūna / ṯumma kallā sawfa taʕlamūna / kallā law taʕlamūna ʕilma l-yaqīni / latarawunna l-jaḥīma / ṯumma latarawunnahā ʕayna l-yaqīni / ṯumma latusʔalunna yawmaʔiḏin ʕani n-naʕīmi

        Augmentation distracted you / till you visited the graves. / No! You shall know! / Indeed, you shall know! / No! If only you knew of the certainty! / You shall see hell! / You shall see it with [absolute] certainty! / Then you shall be asked that day about leisure!

Derived terms

• حَاشَا وَكَلَّا‎ (ḥāšā wakallā) (idiom)

Gulf Arabic

Noun

كِلا or كَلا • (kila or kala)

1. Alternative form of كلى‎ (“to eat”)