qumësht

Albanian

Alternative forms

klomështë, klumushtë — obsolete
qumsht — dialectal
kjumsht, kjumësht, kjumshtë, kumsht — northern Gheg
qumbësht — northeastern Gheg
klumështë, klumësht — Cham, Arbëresh, Arvanitika
këlumësht — southern Tosk
klumisht, klumusht, klumësh, klymësh — Arvanitika
klëmsht, klëmësh, klëmsh, glumsht — Sicily

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibilities include:

Borrowed from a dialectal byform of Latin colostra (“beestings”),^[1]^[2] whence however the regularly derived kulloshtër (“beestings”).
A derivation from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewH- (“to clean; to slide”), whence also Latvian slàukt (“to milk”).^[3]

Given the heavily pastoralist lifestyle of the ancestors of Albanian speakers, it is likely for the basic term for “milk” to be part of the pre-Roman inherited lexicon. Note, however, the borrowing of grigjë, a quite agricultural term nevertheless borrowed from Latin.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈcuməʃt/
(northern Gheg) IPA^(key): [ˈkjũmʃt], [ˈkũmʃt]
(Cham, Arvanitika, Arbëresh) IPA^(key): [ˈkʎum(ə)ʃt]
(Sicily) IPA^(key): [ˈkʎəm(ə)ʃ(t)]
Rhymes: -uməʃt

Noun

qumësht m (definite qumështi)

milk
Synonym: tambël — Gheg
- 1555, Gjon Buzuku, Meshari, Deuteronomy 26, page 46r, lines 26–29:
  ћi / nah ξaeh: por sih pateh baam bee per-/indet tineue: ξeneh ћi fruiton clomeste: e / mialteh:
  [qi na dhae porsi patë bām bē përindet tinëve dhenë qi frujton klomështë e mjaltë]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 1685, Pjetër Bogdani, Cuneus Prophetarum, VT 1.4.30, page 25, lines 55–57:
  I giascti Chieλ ansctè i Jovit, e ξξonè se κȣ ȣλ ansctè 91. ma i maξ se ξeu, ansctè i ndricim, e i barξè si κiumesctè
  [I gjashti Qiell âshtë i Jovit, e thonë se ky yll âshtë 91 ma i madh se dheu, âshtë i ndriçim, e i bardhë si kjumështë]
  [original: Il Sesto è il Cielo di Giove; e dicono, che questo Pianeta è maggiore della Terra 91. volta; è chiaro, è candido, come un latte]
  The sixth Sky is Jupiter's, and they say that this star is 91 [times] bigger than Earth, luminous, and white as milk
- 1872, Kostandin Kristoforidhi, Δiata e rē, Constantinople: A. H. Boyadjian, Hebrews 5:13, page 417:
  Sepsĕ kušdŏ ḱi pī ḱyŭme̥šte̥, ã̆št' i pa-provŭešim nde̥ fyaľe̥ te̥ dreite̥nise̥, sepsĕ ã̆šte̥ fošńe.
  [Sepse kushdo qi pi qjumështë, âsht i paprovueshim ndë fjalë të drejtënisë, sepse âshtë foshnjë.]
  Because whoever drinks milk, is unacquanted with the word of rightness, because he is an infant.
- 1882, Anastas Kullurioti, Ἀλβανικὸν Ἀλφαβητάριον [Albanikòn Alphabētárion], Athens, page 42:
  Αικη ιστη σκωμα ε' κλυμησιτ, δομηθηνη, εμεμαιμεια εδ' εμεσισμεια πιεσ' ετιι.
  [Ajkë ishtë shquma e' klymëshit, domëthënë, e me majmja edh' e me shishmja pjes' e tij.]
  [original: Ἀφρόγαλα εἶναι ὁ ἀφρὸς τοῦ γάλακτος, δηλ. το παχύτερον καὶ τὸ νοστιμώτερον αὐτοῦ μέρος.]
  Aphrógala eînai ho aphròs toû gálaktos, dēl. to pakhúteron kaì tò nostimṓteron autoû méros.
  Kaymak is the milk foam, that is, the fattest and creamiest part of it.
latex, sap, milk (of vegetables)
- 2021 August 1, “Si të bëni vetë qumësht bajamesh”, in Kosovarja‎^[1], archived from the original on 2021-08-01:
  Qumështi i bajameve është shumë i shëndetshëm dhe i dobishëm.
  Almond milk is very healthy and beneficial.
- 2023 July 13, “Mrekullia e Krijuesit – Fiku”, in Mesazhi‎^[2], archived from the original on 2023-07-14:
  Qumështi i fikut përdoret me sukses për heqjen e kallove, si dhe kundër reumatizmit e dhembjeve të tjera artritike.
  Fig latex is successfully used to remove calluses, as well as against rheumatism and other arthritic pains.
mixture of something diluted in water
- 2023 July 12, “A ka ndonjë ndryshim midis pikturimit të një afresku dhe pikturës së një kanavacë?”, in Artmie‎^[3], archived from the original on 2024-09-17:
  Ngjyrat shpërndahen me ujë ose qumësht gëlqereje dhe aplikohen me furçë mbi suva të lagur pas gjysmë ore deri në një orë vendosje.
  The colors are diluted with water or a mixture of lime and water and applied with a brush on wet plaster after half an hour to an hour of setting.
(Gheg) whey
Synonym: hirrë
(Gheg, rare) whey cheese, ricotta
Synonym: gjizë

Usage notes

The meaning “milk” is now obsolete in Gheg dialects, where tambël (“milk”) is used and qumësht generally only means “whey”.

Declension

Declension of qumësht

	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	qumësht	qumështi
accusative	qumësht	qumështin
dat./abl.	qumështi	qumështit

Derived terms

Adverb

qumësht

very (white, clean), as milk
Synonym: shumë

qumësht i pastër ― very clean (literally, “clean as milk”)

References

^ Meyer, G. (1891) “ḱúmɛštɛ”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch der albanesischen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the Albanian Language] (in German), Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, →DOI, page 229
^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “qumësht”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 363
^ Jokl, Norbert (1923) Linguistisch-kulturhistorische Untersuchungen aus dem Bereiche des Albanischen (Untersuchungen zur indogermanischen Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft; 8), Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →DOI, pages 273–276

“qúmësht,~i”, in FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎^[4] (in Albanian), 1980, page 1620b
Mann, S. E. (1948) “qumësht”, in An Historical Albanian–English Dictionary, London: Longmans, Green & Co., page 420b
Leotti, Angelo (1916) “kjúmësht-i”, in L'albanese parlato (in Italian), Milan: U. Hoepli, page 107
Weigand, Gustav (1914) “kjumësht-i”, in Albanesisch–deutsches und deutsch–albanesisches Wörterbuch (in German), Leipzig: J. A. Barth, page 44b
Kristoforidhi, Kostandin (1904) “κϳούμε̯στε̯-ι”, in Λεξικὸν τῆς Ἀλβανικῆς γλώσσης [Lexikòn tês Albanikês glṓssēs] (in Greek), Athens, page 190
Jungg, G. (1895) “kiûmsct”, in Fialuur i voghel sccȣp e ltinisct [Small Albanian–Italian dictionary], page 57b
Jungg, G. (1895) “kiumsct”, in Fialuur i voghel sccȣp e ltinisct [Small Albanian–Italian dictionary], page 189a
Rossi, F. (1875) “kiùmsct”, in Vocabolario della lingua epirotica–italiana (in Italian), page 677b