Meanings
plural kilims · alternative kelim · alternative khilim · alternative kylym
- A flat tapestry-woven carpet or rug from Turkey or Kurdistan.
The khan they all deferred to was a wiry, hook-nosed man with a growth of grey stubble on his chin, who sat on a kelim, listening to the others' arguments without moving a muscle.
1987, Bruce Chatwin, The Songlines, Vintage, published 1998, page 183
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱel-“to cover”
- Ancient Greekκάλυμμα“cover, top, covering”
- Persianگلیم
- Turkishkilim
- Englishkilim
Borrowed from Turkish kilim, from Persian گلیم (gelim), akin to Aramaic גלימא (galīmā, “blanket, garment, cloth”), both from Ancient Greek κάλυμμα (kálumma, “cover, top, covering”) derived from καλύπτω (kalúptō, “to cover”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover”).
More words from Turkish, Persian, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish kelim, kelim-matto
- kelimtype of carpet
- kelim-mattotype of carpet
German Kelim
- Kelimtype of carpet
Greek κιλίμι
- κιλίμι (kilími)type of carpet
Persian گلیم
- گلیم (gelim)type of carpet
Polish kilim
- kilimtype of carpet
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with kilim
Cite this entry
kilim. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kilim
“kilim.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kilim. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kilim,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kilim.
Source: kilim on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.