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

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

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