كمر

See also: کمر

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 (ʔakmār))

1. 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

Declension of noun كَمَر (kamar)

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 ʔakmār	الْأَكْمَار al-ʔakmār	أَكْمَار ʔakmār
Nominative	أَكْمَارٌ ʔakmārun	الْأَكْمَارُ al-ʔakmāru	أَكْمَارُ ʔakmāru
Accusative	أَكْمَارًا ʔakmāran	الْأَكْمَارَ al-ʔakmāra	أَكْمَارَ ʔakmāra
Genitive	أَكْمَارٍ ʔakmārin	الْأَكْمَارِ al-ʔakmāri	أَكْمَارِ ʔakmāri

References

• “كمر” in Almaany
• Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881) “كمر”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes‎^[1] (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^[2], Vienna, column 1881
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “كمر”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[3] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 1119

Ottoman Turkish

كمر

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian کمر (kamar, “belt, girdle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛˈmɛɾ/

Noun

كمر • (kemer)

1. any girdle or belt, especially a belt of cloth with a buckle or clasps

   Synonyms: قوشاق (kuşak), منطقه (mantaka), نطاق (nitak)

2. arch, vault, an architectural element having the shape of a bow

   Synonym: طاق (tak)

3. (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 (kʻēmēr), ք^յա̈մա̈ր (kʻ^yämär)
• → 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^[4], 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^[5], 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^[6], Vienna, column 4017
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “kemer”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “كمر”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[7], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1573