dalam

See also: dalām, daļām, and dałam

Eastern Cham

Etymology

From Proto-Chamic *dalam, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm, from Proto-Austronesian *daləm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈda.lam/

Adjective

dalam (Akhar Thrah spelling ꨕꨤꩌ)

1. deep

Preposition

dalam (Akhar Thrah spelling ꨕꨤꩌ)

1. in, inside

References

• Thurgood, Graham (1999), From Ancient Cham to Modern Dialects: Two Thousand Years of Language Contact and Change‎^[1], Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, page 287
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*dalem”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Iban

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm, fom Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm, from Proto-Austronesian *daləm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dalam/
• Rhymes: -alam
• Hyphenation: da‧lam

Adjective

dalam

1. deep

Preposition

dalam

1. inside, in, within (abstract)

   dalam jaku Inggeris

   in English

2. indoor
3. interior

References

• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*dalem”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• dlm (abbreviation)

Etymology

Inherited from Malay dalam, from Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm, from Proto-Austronesian *daləm. Doublet of dalem. Semantic loan from Chinese 內 / 内.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈdalam/ [ˈda.lam]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alam
• Syllabification: da‧lam

Adjective

dalam (superlative terdalam, equative sedalam)

1. deep

   Antonym: dangkal

2. (of Chinese kinship) paternal side

   kakek dalam ― paternal grandfather

3. inner, internal

   mau pake hard disk luar apa dalam?

   do you want to use external or internal hard drive?

Derived terms

• berdalam-dalam
• berkedalaman
• dalam-dalam
• dalaman
• kedalaman
• kemendalaman
• memperdalam
• memperdalami
• mendalam
• mendalami
• mendalamkan
• pedalaman
• pendalaman
• sedalam-dalam
• sedalam-dalamnya
• semendalam
• terdalam

• dalam negeri

Noun

dalam (plural dalam-dalam)

1. inside, indoors
2. interior

Preposition

dalam

1. inside, in, within

Derived terms

• dalam jaringan
• dalam jejaring
• dalam pada itu
• dalam peninggal
• di dalam

References

• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*dalem”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Further reading

• “dalam”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Malay

Alternative forms

• dlm (abbreviation)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Austronesian *daləm

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm

Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm

Malay dalam

From Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm, from Proto-Austronesian *daləm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dalam/

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alam
• (Kelantan) IPA^(key): [dalẽ]

Adjective

dalam (comparative lebih dalam, superlative paling dalam, terdalam)

1. deep

Antonyms

• cetek
• dangkal
• tohor

Derived terms

Affixed terms and other derivations

Regular affixed derivations:

• pendalaman (“process of deepening”) [agentive / qualitative / instrumental / abstract / measure + resultative / locative / collective / variety / verbal noun / fruit] (peN- + -an)
• pedalaman (“inland”) [passive / name of profession + resultative / locative / collective / variety / verbal noun / fruit] (pe- + -an)
• dalaman (“internal”) [resultative / locative / collective / variety / verbal noun / fruit] (-an)
• kedalaman (“depth”) [abstract / locative] (ke-an)
• sedalam [comparability] (se-)
• dalamkan [causative benefactive] (-kan)
• dalami [causative (locative) benefactive] (-i)
• mendalamkan (“to deepen”) [agent focus + causative benefactive] (meN- + -kan)
• mendalami [agent focus + causative (locative) benefactive] (meN- + -i)
• didalamkan (“to be deepened”) [patient focus + causative benefactive] (di- + -kan)
• didalami [patient focus + causative (locative) benefactive] (di- + -i)
• memperdalam (“to deepen”) [causative agent focus] (mempeR-)
• diperdalam (“to be deepened”) [causative passive focus] (dipeR-)
• dalam-dalam [reduplication] (redup)

Irregular affixed derivations, other derivations and compound words:

• mendalam (“profound”)
• terdalam (“the deepest”)
• sedalam-dalamnya (“as deep as possible”)

Preposition

dalam (Jawi spelling دالم)

1. inside, in, within (abstract)

   dalam bahasa Inggris

   in English

2. indoor
3. interior

Usage notes

The DBP prescribes for dalam to be used with abstract spaces, with di dalam and ke dalam being used with physical spaces. However, this distinction is only followed mainly in formal speech.

Antonyms

• luar

Derived terms

• di dalam (“in (concrete)”)
• ke dalam (“(to) inside (of), into”)

Descendants

• Indonesian: dalam

References

• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*dalem”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Maltese

Root
d-l-m
6 terms

Etymology

Inherited from Arabic ظَلِمَ (ẓalima).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈda.lam/
• Rhymes: -alam

Verb

dalam (imperfect jidlam)

1. (of the night, sky, etc.) to get dark

Conjugation

Conjugation of dalam (Form I, sound, a-a ~ i-a)

positive forms
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	dlamt	dlamt	dalam	dlamna	dlamtu	dalmu
	f			dalmet
imperfect	m	nidlam	tidlam	jidlam	nidalmu	tidalmu	jidalmu
	f			tidlam
imperative			idlam			idalmu
negative forms
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	dlamtx	dlamtx	dalamx	dlamniex	dlamtux	dalmux
	f			dalmitx
imperfect	m	nidlamx	tidlamx	jidlamx	nidalmux	tidalmux	jidalmux
	f			tidlamx
imperative			tidlamx			tidalmux

Sarawak Malay

Alternative forms

• lam (apheretic, prepositional)
• dlm (Internet slang)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Austronesian *daləm

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm

Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm

Sarawak Malay dalam

From Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm, from Proto-Austronesian *daləm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /da.lam/
• (apheretic, prepositional) IPA^(key): /lam/

Adjective

dalam

1. deep

   Dalam gilak tasek ya sampei kaki aku sik kenak.

   The lake is too deep until my legs don't reach.

Preposition

dalam

1. inside, in, within (abstract)

   dalam bahasa Inggris

   in English

   dalam kotak

   in the box

2. indoor
3. interior

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• ralam

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Austronesian *daləm

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm

Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm

Malay dalambor.?

Tagalog dalam

Possibly borrowed from Malay dalam (“indoor; palace; prince's dwelling”), from Proto-Malayic *(d)aləm, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daləm, from Proto-Austronesian *daləm. Possible doublet of lalim.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈdalam/ [ˈd̪aː.lɐm]
• Rhymes: -alam
• Syllabification: da‧lam

Noun

dalam (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜎᜋ᜔) (obsolete)

1. a house (of a lord or principal person) full of people, menials, and slaves

   Dalam mandin ang bahay mo.

   Your house is a house full of people.

2. (regional) principal or the chief person in a household

   Sinong igagalang sa dalam?

   Who is to be respected as the head?

3. (regional) servants and slaves in a large household

   Susundi't pipintuhuin ng mga dalam ang mga panginoon nila.

   Their masters shall be followed and respected by the house servants and slaves.

   Sino ang sukat sundin ng mga dalam, kundi ang panginoon?

   Who is fit to be followed by the household of servants, if not the master?

Derived terms

• magdalam
• pagdalaman

See also

• dalamhati

Further reading

• “dalam”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “dalam”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Noceda, Fr. Juan José de; Sanlucar, Fr. Pedro de (1860), Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, compuesto por varios religiosos doctos y graves, y coordinado por…, ultimamente aumentado y corregido por varios religiosos de la Orden de Agustinos calzados.‎^[2] (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: Ramírez y Giraudier.
• Santos, Fr. Domingo de los (1835), Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala, primera y segunda parte. En la primera, se pone primero el Castellano, y despues el Tagalo. Y en la segunda al contrario, que son las raíces simples con sus acentos.‎^[3] (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: La Imprenta nueva de D. José María Dayot, por Tomás Oliva.
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte.‎^[4] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag., page 150: “Caſa) Dalam (pp) de mucha gente criados eſclavos y parientes, es propiamente caſa de señor o prinçipal”

Woiwurrung

Noun

dalam

1. pork

See also

• yawi (“pig”)