کرم

See also: كرم and گرم

Central Kurdish

Etymology

From Proto-Iranian *kŕ̥miš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷŕ̥mis (“worm”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kər(ə)m/

Noun

Northern Kurdish	kirm

کرم (kirm, kirim)

1. worm

Derived terms

• کرمی (kirmî)

Persian

Etymology 1

PIE word
*kwŕ̥mis

From Proto-Iranian *kŕ̥miš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷŕ̥mis (“worm”). Cognate with Sanskrit कृमि (kṛ́mi, “worm”), Proto-Slavic *čьrvь (“worm”), Lithuanian kirmi̇̀s (“worm”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [kiɾm]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰɪɾm]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰɪɾm]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰɪɾm]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰiɾm]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲeɹm]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰiɾm]

Readings
Classical reading?	kirm
Dari reading?	kirm
Iranian reading?	kerm
Tajik reading?	kirm

Noun

Dari	کرم
Iranian Persian
Tajik	кирм

کرم • (kerm)

1. worm
2. (computing) worm

Derived terms

• کرم ابریشم (kerm-e abrišam)
• کرم از خود درخته! (kerm az xod-e deraxt-e)
• کرم خورده (kerm xorde)
• کرم ریختن (kerm rixtan)
• کرم شب‌تاب (kerm-e šab-tâb)
• کرم کتاب (kerm-e ketâb)

Etymology 2

From French crème.

Pronunciation

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲe.ɹem], [kʲɹem]

Readings
Iranian reading?	kerem, krem

Noun

کرم • (kerem or krem)

1. cream (dairy product)
2. lotion

Etymology 3

From Arabic كَرَم (karam).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ka.ɾam]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæ.ɹæm]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]

Readings
Classical reading?	karam
Dari reading?	karam
Iranian reading?	karam
Tajik reading?	karam

Noun

Dari	کرم
Iranian Persian
Tajik	карам

کرم • (karam)

1. bounty
2. generosity
3. magnificence

Related terms

• الله کرم

Proper noun

کرم • (karam)

1. a male given name

Etymology 4

Dari	کرم
Iranian Persian
Tajik	карам

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ka.ɾam]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæ.ɹæm]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰä.ɾäm]

Readings
Classical reading?	karam
Dari reading?	karam
Iranian reading?	karam
Tajik reading?	karam

Noun

کرم • (karam)

1. rare form of کلم (kalam)

Etymology 5

From Arabic كَرْم (karm).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [kaɾm]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäɾm]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäɾm]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [kʰäɾm]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [kʰäɾm]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰʲæɹm]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [kʰäɾm]

Readings
Classical reading?	karm
Dari reading?	karm
Iranian reading?	karm
Tajik reading?	karm

Noun

Dari	کرم
Iranian Persian
Tajik	карм

کرم • (karm)

1. (rare) grape, vine

Etymology 6

کر (kar, “deaf”) +‎ ـم (-am, “am”).

Persian phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness. For other Persian entries on this topic, see Health.

Alternative forms

• کر هستم

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkʰʲæɾæm]

Phrase

کرم • (karam)

1. I'm deaf

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian کَرَم (karam), from Arabic كَرَم.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /kə.ɾəm/
• Rhymes: -əm
• Hyphenation: کَ‧رَم

Noun

کَرَم • (karam) f (Hindi spelling करम)

1. grace; generosity
2. kindness
3. (figuratively) honour; decency
4. bravery

Declension

Declension of کرم

	singular	plural
direct	کَرَم (karam)	کَرَمیں (karamẽ)
oblique	کَرَم (karam)	کَرَموں (karamõ)
vocative	کَرَم (karam)	کَرَمو (karamo)

Further reading

• “کرم”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “کرم”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “کرم”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co.
• Platts, John T. (1884) “کرم”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• S. W. Fallon (1879) “کرم”, in A New Hindustani-English Dictionary, Banaras, London: Trubner and Co.
• John Shakespear (1834) “کرم”, in A dictionary, Hindustani and English: with a copious index, fitting the work to serve, also, as a dictionary of English and Hindustani, 3^rd edition, London: J.L. Cox and Son, →OCLC