لم

Arabic

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lam/

Particle

لَمْ • (lam)

1. not (negating past tense) [with jussive]

   لَمْ يَكْتُبْ ― lam yaktub ― He has not written.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 98:1:

     لَمْ يَكُنِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَابِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنْفَكِّينَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَةُ.

     lam yakuni llaḏīna kafarū min ʔahli l-kitābi wa-l-mušrikīna munfakkīna ḥattā taʔtiyahumu l-bayyinatu.

     Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence.

See also

• Negative particles: لَا (lā), لَن (lan), مَا (mā)
• لَيْسَ (laysa)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /li.ma/

Adverb

لِمَ • (lima)

1. for what, why
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 61:2-3:

     يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
     كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ ٱللّٰهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ

     yā ʔayyuhā llaḏīna ʔāmanū lima taqūlūna mā lā tafʕalūna
     kabura maqtan ʕinda llāhi ʔan taqūlū mā lā tafʕalūna

     O you who have believed! Why do you say what you do not do? Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.

Etymology 3

Verb

لُمْ • (lum) (form I) /lum/

1. second-person masculine singular imperative of لَامَ (lāma)

Egyptian Arabic

Root
ل م م
1 term

Verb

لم • (lamm) I (non-past يلم (yilimm))

1. to collect, to gather

Conjugation

Conjugation of لم

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
past	m	لميت (lammēt)	لميت (lammēt)	لم (lamm)		لمينا (lammēna)	لميتوا (lammētu)	لموا (lammu)
	f		لميتي (lammēti)	لمت (lammit)
present subjunctive	m	الم (alimm)	تلم (tilimm)	يلم (yilimm)		نلم (nilimm)	تلموا (tilimmu)	يلموا (yilimmu)
	f		تلمي (tilimmi)	تلم (tílimm)
present indicative	m	بلم (balimm)	بتلم (bitlimm)	بيلم (biylimm)		بنلم (binlimm)	بتلموا (bitlimmu)	بيلموا (biylimmu)
	f		بتلمي (bitlimmi)	بتلم (bitlimm)
future1	m	هلم (halimm)	هتلم (hatlimm)	هيلم (haylimm)		هنلم (hanlimm)	هتلموا (hatlimmu)	هيلموا (haylimmu)
	f		هتلمي (hatlimmi)	هتلم (hatlimm)
imperative	m		لم (limm)				لموا (limmu)
	f		لمي (limmi)

¹ The future tense can be prefixed with either هـ (ha-) or حـ (ḥa-) depending on the speaker.

Mazanderani

Noun

لم (lam)

1. bramble

Noun

لم (lem)

1. filth

Pashto

Etymology

Akin to Persian دنب (donb, “tail”); see it for more.

Noun

لم • (lëm) m

1. tail

Persian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [lem(ː)]

Readings
Iranian reading?	lemm

Noun

لم • (lem)

1. trick, trickery

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French lemme.

Pronunciation

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [lem]

Readings
Iranian reading?	lem

Noun

لم • (lem)

1. (mathematics) lemma

Further reading

• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “لم”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim