כלב ים

See also: כלבים

Hebrew

Roots
כ־ל־ב (k-l-b)
י־מ־ם (y-m-m)

Etymology

Calque of German Seehund.

In the Revival literature era there were authors appending the meaning "shark" to it, in analogy to Arabic كَلْب الْبَحْر (kalb al-baḥr) or French chien-de-mer, but the "seal" sense eventually prevailed.

Pronunciation

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Noun

כֶּלֶב יָם • (kélev-yam) m

1. seal (a pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal)
2. (archaic) shark