काली

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /kɑː.liː/, [käː.liː]

Etymology 1

Semi-learned borrowing from Sanskrit कालिय (kāliya). Doublet of कालिय (kāliya).

Proper noun

काली • (kālī) m (Urdu spelling کالی)

1. Kaliya (a Nāga living in the Yamuna river)

Declension

Declension of काली (sg-only masc ī-stem)

	singular
direct	काली kālī
oblique	काली kālī
vocative	काली kālī

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit काली (kālī). By surface analysis, काल (kāl) +‎ -ई (-ī).

Noun

काली • (kālī) f (Urdu spelling کالی) (rare, formal)

1. night

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:रात

2. black ink
3. darkness, blackness
4. abuse, censure, defamation

Declension

Declension of काली (fem ī-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	काली kālī	कालियाँ kāliyā̃
oblique	काली kālī	कालियों kāliyõ
vocative	काली kālī	कालियो kāliyo

Proper noun

काली • (kālī) f (Urdu spelling کالی)

1. (Hinduism) Kali, title of goddess Durga

   काली माँ ― kālī mā̃ ― mother Kali

2. a female given name, Kali, from Sanskrit
3. one of the seven tongues or flames of fire
4. Satyavati (wife of Shantanu)

Declension

Declension of काली (sg-only fem ī-stem)

	singular
direct	काली kālī
oblique	काली kālī
vocative	काली kālī

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

काली • (kālī) (Urdu spelling کالی)

1. direct/oblique/vocative feminine singular/plural of काला (kālā)

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “काली”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press
• Platts, John T. (1884) “काली”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “काली”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “काली”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha
• “काली”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “kālī”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• কালী (Assamese script)
• ᬓᬵᬮᬷ (Balinese script)
• কালী (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰯𑰩𑰱 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑀸𑀮𑀻 (Brahmi script)
• ကာလီ (Burmese script)
• કાલી (Gujarati script)
• ਕਾਲੀ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌕𑌾𑌲𑍀 (Grantha script)
• ꦏꦴꦭꦷ (Javanese script)
• 𑂍𑂰𑂪𑂲 (Kaithi script)
• ಕಾಲೀ (Kannada script)
• កាលី (Khmer script)
• ກາລີ (Lao script)
• കാലീ (Malayalam script)
• ᡬᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠯᡳᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘎𑘰𑘩𑘲 (Modi script)
• ᢉᠠᢗᠯᠢᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦮𑧑𑧉𑧓 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑐵𑐮𑐷 (Newa script)
• କାଲୀ (Odia script)
• ꢒꢵꢭꢷ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑆳𑆬𑆵 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖯𑖩𑖱 (Siddham script)
• කාලී (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩜𑩛𑩽𑩑𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚊𑚭𑚥𑚯 (Takri script)
• காலீ (Tamil script)
• కాలీ (Telugu script)
• กาลี (Thai script)
• ཀཱ་ལཱི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑒰𑒪𑒲 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨋𑨊𑨬𑨁𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From काल (kāla, “blackness”) +‎ -ई (-ī), from Proto-Dravidian *kār-.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɑː.liː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑː.l̪iː/

Noun

काली • (kālī) stem, f

1. black colour, ink or blacking
2. abuse, censure, defamation
3. a row or succession of black clouds
4. night

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:रात्रि

5. a worm or animalcule generated in the acetous fermentation of milk

   Synonym: क्षीरकीट (kṣīrakīṭa)

6. a kind of clay

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of काली (kālī)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	काली kālī	काल्यौ / काली¹ kālyau / kālī¹	काल्यः / कालीः¹ kālyaḥ / kālīḥ¹
Vocative	कालि kāli	काल्यौ / काली¹ kālyau / kālī¹	काल्यः / कालीः¹ kālyaḥ / kālīḥ¹
Accusative	कालीम् kālīm	काल्यौ / काली¹ kālyau / kālī¹	कालीः kālīḥ
Instrumental	काल्या kālyā	कालीभ्याम् kālībhyām	कालीभिः kālībhiḥ
Dative	काल्यै kālyai	कालीभ्याम् kālībhyām	कालीभ्यः kālībhyaḥ
Ablative	काल्याः / काल्यै² kālyāḥ / kālyai²	कालीभ्याम् kālībhyām	कालीभ्यः kālībhyaḥ
Genitive	काल्याः / काल्यै² kālyāḥ / kālyai²	काल्योः kālyoḥ	कालीनाम् kālīnām
Locative	काल्याम् kālyām	काल्योः kālyoḥ	कालीषु kālīṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Proper noun

काली • (kālī) stem, f

1. (Hinduism) Kali (the most terrifying goddess, wife of Shiva, identified as Parvati in her benevolent aspect)
2. Satyavati (wife of Shantanu)
3. one of the mātṛs (divine mothers)
4. name of the plant kālāñjanī
5. Operculina turpethum
6. Bignonia suaveolens
7. one of the seven tongues or flames of fire
8. name of a female evil spirit (mother of the Kalakeyas)
9. one of the sixteen Vidyadevis
10. name of a river

Declension

Feminine ī-stem declension of काली (kālī)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	काली kālī	काल्यौ / काली¹ kālyau / kālī¹	काल्यः / कालीः¹ kālyaḥ / kālīḥ¹
Vocative	कालि kāli	काल्यौ / काली¹ kālyau / kālī¹	काल्यः / कालीः¹ kālyaḥ / kālīḥ¹
Accusative	कालीम् kālīm	काल्यौ / काली¹ kālyau / kālī¹	कालीः kālīḥ
Instrumental	काल्या kālyā	कालीभ्याम् kālībhyām	कालीभिः kālībhiḥ
Dative	काल्यै kālyai	कालीभ्याम् kālībhyām	कालीभ्यः kālībhyaḥ
Ablative	काल्याः / काल्यै² kālyāḥ / kālyai²	कालीभ्याम् kālībhyām	कालीभ्यः kālībhyaḥ
Genitive	काल्याः / काल्यै² kālyāḥ / kālyai²	काल्योः kālyoḥ	कालीनाम् kālīnām
Locative	काल्याम् kālyām	काल्योः kālyoḥ	कालीषु kālīṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Assamese: কালী (kali)
• Bengali: কালী (kali)
• Chinese: 迦梨 (Jiālí)
• Gujarati: કાલિ (kāli)
• Hindi: काली (kālī)
• Malayalam: കാളി (kāḷi)
• Marathi: काली (kālī)
• Burmese: ကာလီ (kali)
• Nepali: काली (kālī)
• Newar: काली (kālī)
• Punjabi: ਕਾਲੀ (kālī)
• Sindhi: ڪالي
• Sinhalese: කාලී (kālī)
• Tamil: காளி (kāḷi)
• Telugu: కాళి (kāḷi)
• Thai: กาลี (gaa-lii)

Adjective

काली • (kālī)

1. feminine of काल (kāla)

   Synonyms: श्यामा (śyāmā), कृष्णा (kṛṣṇā)

References

• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “काली”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
• Monier Williams (1899) “काली”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 277.