# כלב
## Hebrew
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *kalb-.

### Pronunciation

* (Biblical Hebrew) IPA: /kalb/
* (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA: /ˈka.lav/, [ˈkʰæː.læv]
* (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA: /ˈke.lev/

### Noun

כֶּלֶב • (kɛ́lɛḇ, kélev) m (plural indefinite כְּלָבִים, singular construct כֶּלֶב־, plural construct כַּלְבֵי־, feminine counterpart כַּלְבָּה) [pattern: קֶטֶל]
* dog (the species Canis familiaris (sometimes designated Canis lupus familiaris), domesticated for thousands of years and of highly variable appearance because of human breeding)
* (derogatory) scoundrel, bitch

#### Declension

| Number | Isolated forms | Isolated forms | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns |
| Number | State | Form | Person | singular | singular | plural | plural |
| Number | State | Form | Person | m. | f. | m. | f. |
| masculine singular | indefinite | כֶּלֶב | first | כַּלְבִּי | כַּלְבִּי | כַּלְבֵּנוּ | כַּלְבֵּנוּ |
| masculine singular | definite | הַכֶּלֶב | second | כַּלְבְּךָ | כַּלְבֵּךְ | כַּלְבְּכֶם | כַּלְבְּכֶן |
| masculine singular | construct | כֶּלֶב־ | third | כַּלְבּוֹ | כַּלְבָּהּ | כַּלְבָּם | כַּלְבָּן |
| masculine plural | indefinite | כְּלָבִים | first | כלביי / כְּלָבַי | כלביי / כְּלָבַי | כְּלָבֵינוּ | כְּלָבֵינוּ |
| masculine plural | definite | הַכְּלָבִים | second | כְּלָבֶיךָ | כלבייך / כְּלָבַיִךְ | כַּלְבֵיכֶם | כַּלְבֵיכֶן |
| masculine plural | construct | כַּלְבֵי־ | third | כְּלָבָיו | כְּלָבֶיהָ | כַּלְבֵיהֶם | כַּלְבֵיהֶן |
| feminine singular | indefinite | כַּלְבָּה | first | כַּלְבָּתִי | כַּלְבָּתִי | כַּלְבָּתֵנוּ | כַּלְבָּתֵנוּ |
| feminine singular | definite | הַכַּלְבָּה | second | כַּלְבָּתְךָ | כַּלְבָּתֵךְ | כַּלְבַּתְכֶם | כַּלְבַּתְכֶן |
| feminine singular | construct | כַּלְבַּת־ | third | כַּלְבָּתוֹ | כַּלְבָּתָהּ | כַּלְבָּתָם | כַּלְבָּתָן |
| feminine plural | indefinite | כְּלָבוֹת | first | כלבותיי / כַּלְבוֹתַי | כלבותיי / כַּלְבוֹתַי | כַּלְבוֹתֵינוּ | כַּלְבוֹתֵינוּ |
| feminine plural | definite | הַכְּלָבוֹת | second | כַּלְבוֹתֶיךָ | כלבותייך / כַּלְבוֹתַיִךְ | כַּלְבוֹתֵיכֶם | כַּלְבוֹתֵיכֶן |
| feminine plural | construct | כַּלְבוֹת־ | third | כַּלְבוֹתָיו | כַּלְבוֹתֶיהָ | כַּלְבוֹתָם | כַּלְבוֹתָן |

#### Derived terms

* כְּלַבְלַב (klavláv)
* כֶּלֶב זְאֵב (kélev ze'év)
* כֶּלֶב כְּנַעֲנִי (kélev kna'aní)
* כֶּלֶב־יָם (kélev-yam)
* כֶּלֶב־נָהָר (kélev-nahár)
* כַּלְבָן (kalván)
* כַּלֶּבֶת (kalévet)
* קור כלבים / קֹר כְּלָבִים (kor klavím)

### References

* H3611 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
* Klein, Ernest (1987) “כֶּלֶב”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎, Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 276c
* “כלב” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

### Further reading

* כלב on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{he}$

## Persian
### Noun

כלב • (kalb)
* Judeo-Persian spelling of کلب (kalb).
** 1600s, Elisha ben Shmūel, translated by Dalia Yasharpour, The Prince and the Sufi: The Judeo-Persian Rendition of the Buddha Biographies, Brill, published November 9, 2020:צֿנאן גשתה וֿגִודש פיש מן כֿאר כה פנדארם כם‭‬ אז כלבסת צד בארčenin gašte vojud-aš piš-e man xâr ke pendâram kam az kalb ast sad bârHis existence for me has become so base That I view him infinitely lower than a dog.

## Yiddish
### Noun

כלב • (kelev) m, plural כלבים (klovem)
* (nonstandard) Unpointed form of כּלבֿ (kelev).