Meanings
nounqalam (plural qalams)
plural qalams
- A reed pen used for Islamic calligraphy
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.
1980, Anthony Welch, Islamic calligraphy: Meaning and symbol, Processing of Visible Language, pages 157-176
Origin
- Ancient Greekκάλαμος“reed”
- Arabicقَلَم“pen”
- Englishqalam
Borrowed from Arabic قَلَم (qalam, “pen”), derived from Ancient Greek κάλαμος (kálamos, “reed”). Doublet of calamus.
More words from Arabic, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Russian каля́м, кала́м
- каля́м (kaljám)reed pen
- кала́м (kalám)reed pen
Cite this entry
APA
qalam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/qalam
MLA
“qalam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/qalam. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “qalam,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/qalam.
Source: qalam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.