*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of kadam

Cf. Bengali কদম (kodom), corruption of Sanskrit कदम्ब (kadamba). Ultimately from Proto-South Dravidian *kaṭ-ampu (“Neolamarckia cadamba”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A tropical evergreen tree, Neolamarckia cadamba (syn. Anthocephalus indicus, Nauclea cadamba), native to South and Southeast Asia.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Cf. Bengali কদম (kodom), corruption of Sanskrit कदम्ब (kadamba). Ultimately from Proto-South Dravidian *kaṭ-ampu (“Neolamarckia cadamba”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "bn",
        "2": "কদম"
      },
      "expansion": "Bengali কদম (kodom)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "कदम्ब"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit कदम्ब (kadamba)"
    },
    {
      "name": "taxfmt",
      "args": {
        "1": "Neolamarckia cadamba",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Neolamarckia cadamba"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dra-sou-pro",
        "3": "*kaṭ-ampu",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Neolamarckia cadamba"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-South Dravidian *kaṭ-ampu (“Neolamarckia cadamba”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "কদম",
      "কদম#Bengali"
    ],
    [
      "कदम्ब",
      "कदम्ब#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "*kaṭ-ampu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-South Dravidian/kaṭ-ampu"
    ],
    [
      "Neolamarckia cadamba",
      "Neolamarckia cadamba#Translingual"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tropical evergreen tree, Neolamarckia cadamba (syn. Anthocephalus indicus, Nauclea cadamba), native to South and Southeast Asia."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India"
      ],
      "recordId": "5a52b96015762345c310f11ed085219cb761a6275543181f86cbcb04adb3179d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1b9bfe4630ea77bd0766f9ade2142f998b39c92ba1d2260697ddd2a8f43e3684",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5532898
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A unit of distance, equal to 10 miles.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Cf. Bengali কদম (kodom, “step”), borrowed ultimately from Arabic قَدَم (qadam, “foot”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "bn",
        "2": "কদম",
        "3": "",
        "4": "step"
      },
      "expansion": "Bengali কদম (kodom, “step”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "قَدَم",
        "4": "",
        "5": "foot"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic قَدَم (qadam, “foot”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "কদম",
      "কদম#Bengali"
    ],
    [
      "قَدَم",
      "قدم#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A unit of distance, equal to 10 miles."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Asia",
        "historical"
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for kadam →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a2FkYW0