kalama

Albanian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Formation from prefix kala- plus -man, derivative of maj "to fatten, to feed".[1] Topalli argues for a loan from Bulgarian калимана (kalimana, godmother), with a semantic shift godmother > godchild > child.[2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [kalaˈma]

Noun

kalama m (plural kalamaj, definite kalamani, definite plural kalamajtë)

  1. child
  2. childish person

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • kalamanllëk

References

  1. ^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “kalama”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 694
  2. ^ Topalli, Kolec (2017) “kalama”, in Fjalor Etimologjik i Gjuhës Shqipe [Etymological Dictionary of the Albanian Language] (in Albanian), Durrës, Albania: Jozef, page 165