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כלב ים. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
כלב ים, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
כלב ים in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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כלב ים will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
כלב ים, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Hebrew
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
Noun
כֶּלֶב יָם • (kélev-yam) m
- seal (a pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal)
- (archaic) shark