qalam

English

Four qalams

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic قَلَم (qalam, “pen”), derived from Ancient Greek κάλαμος (kálamos, “reed”). Doublet of calamus.

Noun

qalam (plural qalams)

1. reed pen used for Islamic calligraphy
   • 1980, Anthony Welch, Islamic calligraphy: Meaning and symbol, Processing of Visible Language, pages 157-176

     The slender form of the reed pen—the qalam has frequently been compared to the thin, vertical stroke of the alif (Figure 1), the first letter of the Arabic alphabet and therefore the beginning of transmitted knowledge.

Translations

reed pen

• Russian: каля́м (ru) m (kaljám), кала́м (ru) m (kalám)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}