كمر
Arabic
Alternative forms
- كَمَرَان (kamarān)
Etymology
From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (kml /kamar/, “waist; belt”), from Proto-Indo-European *kam- (“to bend”). In Aramaic קַמְרָא, ܩܰܡܪܳܐ (qamrā), in Classical Persian کمر (kamar).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ka.mar/
Noun
كَمَر • (kamar) m (plural أَكْمَار (ʾakmār))
- belt, girdle
Usage notes
In the time of ʿUmar a زُنَّار (zunnār) would mean a belt worn by Christians, Jews, Sabians, Magians and other non-Muslims; for it had become fashionable in the Byzantine Empire under Diocletian and Constantine to wear a ζώνη (zṓnē) or cingulum which was first a symbol of servitude in public office and then in religious office. For Zoroastrians parallelly the conviction developed to wear a كُسْتِيج (kustīj, “belt”), whereas Babylonian Jews wore a هِمْيَان (himyān) הֶמְיָנָא (hemyānā, “belt”). Public officials in the Iranian empire wore a كَمَر (kamar, “belt”) without which no Iranian of distinction would go out, termed in Arabic مِنْطَقَة (minṭaqa, “belt”). With the new Muslim rulers the former girdles were imposed and the كَمَر (kamar) or مِنْطَقَة (minṭaqa) prohibited for non-Muslims. An Arabic term for “girdle” neutral from the beginning is حِزَام (ḥizām).
Declension
| Singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | كَمَر kamar | الْكَمَر al-kamar | كَمَر kamar |
| Nominative | كَمَرٌ kamarun | الْكَمَرُ al-kamaru | كَمَرُ kamaru |
| Accusative | كَمَرًا kamaran | الْكَمَرَ al-kamara | كَمَرَ kamara |
| Genitive | كَمَرٍ kamarin | الْكَمَرِ al-kamari | كَمَرِ kamari |
| Dual | Indefinite | Definite | Construct |
| Informal | كَمَرَيْن kamarayn | الْكَمَرَيْن al-kamarayn | كَمَرَيْ kamaray |
| Nominative | كَمَرَانِ kamarāni | الْكَمَرَانِ al-kamarāni | كَمَرَا kamarā |
| Accusative | كَمَرَيْنِ kamarayni | الْكَمَرَيْنِ al-kamarayni | كَمَرَيْ kamaray |
| Genitive | كَمَرَيْنِ kamarayni | الْكَمَرَيْنِ al-kamarayni | كَمَرَيْ kamaray |
| Plural | basic broken plural triptote | ||
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | أَكْمَار ʾakmār | الْأَكْمَار al-ʾakmār | أَكْمَار ʾakmār |
| Nominative | أَكْمَارٌ ʾakmārun | الْأَكْمَارُ al-ʾakmāru | أَكْمَارُ ʾakmāru |
| Accusative | أَكْمَارًا ʾakmāran | الْأَكْمَارَ al-ʾakmāra | أَكْمَارَ ʾakmāra |
| Genitive | أَكْمَارٍ ʾakmārin | الْأَكْمَارِ al-ʾakmāri | أَكْمَارِ ʾakmāri |
References
- “كمر” in Almaany
- Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881), “كمر”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes (in French), volume 2, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 488
- Levy-Rubin, Mika (2011) Non-Muslims in the Early Islamic Empire. From Surrender to Coexistence, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 154–157
- Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687), “كمر”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum, Vienna, column 1881
- Wehr, Hans; Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985), “كمر”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 1119
Ottoman Turkish
Etymology
Borrowed from Persian کمر (kamar, “belt, girdle”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kɛˈmɛɾ/
Noun
كمر • (kemer)
- any girdle or belt, especially a belt of cloth with a buckle or clasps
- Synonyms: قوشاق (kuşak), منطقه (mantaka), نطاق (nitak)
- arch, vault, an architectural element having the shape of a bow
- (geography) mountain pass, a low point in a mountain range
- Synonym: ارغید (arğid)
Derived terms
- صو كمری (su kemeri, “arches of an aqueduct”)
- كمر آغاجی (kemer ağacı, “strut”)
- كمر بند (kemer-bend, “girdle”)
- كمر ساز (kemer-saz, “maker of belts”)
- كمرلك (kemerlik, “leather belt used to hold tools”)
- كمرلو (kemerli, “arched, vaulted”)
Descendants
- Turkish: kemer
- → Armenian: քէմէր (kʿēmēr), քյա̈մա̈ր (kʿyämär)
- → Bulgarian: кеме́р (kemér)
- → Greek: κεμέρι (keméri)
- → Romanian: chimír, chimér
Further reading
- Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007), “kemer1”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 2539
- Kélékian, Diran (1911), “كمر”, in Dictionnaire turc-français, Constantinople: Mihran, page 1038
- Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687), “Zona”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum, Vienna, column 1804
- Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680), “كمر”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum, Vienna, column 4017
- Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “kemer”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
- Redhouse, James W. (1890), “كمر”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon, Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1573