لما

See also: لمى

Arabic

Etymology 1

Univerbation of لَم (lam, “not”) +‎ مَا (mā, relative), the original thought being "but not have it that".

Particle

لَمَّا • (lammā)

1. not yet, but not, yet not; (governs a jussive verb)

Adverb

لِمَا • (limā)

1. for what (relative, not interrogative)

Etymology 2

Univerbation of لِ (li, “for”) +‎ إِمَّا (ʔimmā, as for), the original thought being "for as for [when] this is so".

Conjunction

لَمَّا • (lammā)

1. when; (in the past only)
2. in view of, the fact that; because, since
   • a. 1002, Ibn Jinni, سر صناعة الإعراب:

     فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَرْتَبِطْ أَوَّلُ الْكَلَامِ بِآخِرِهِ لِأَنَّ أَوَّلَهُ فِعْلٌ وَآخِرُهُ ٱسْمَانِ، وَٱلْأَسْمَاءُ لَا يُعَادَلُ بِهَا ٱلْأَفْعَال، أَدْخَلُوا هُنَاكَ حَرْفًا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ مَا بَعْدَهُ مُسَبَّبٌ عَمَّا قَبْلَهُ لَا مَعْنَى لِلْعَطْفِ فِيهِ فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا هَٰذَا الْمَعْنَى إِلَّا فِي الْفَاءِ وَحْدَهَا.

     falammā lam yartabiṭ ʔawwalu l-kalāmi biʔāḵirihi liʔanna ʔawwalahu fiʕlun waʔāḵiruhu smāni, wal-ʔasmāʔu lā yuʕādalu bihā l-ʔafʕāl, ʔadḵalū hunāka ḥarfan yadullu ʕalā ʔanna mā baʕdahu musabbabun ʕammā qablahu lā maʕnā lilʕaṭfi fīhi falam yajidū hāḏā l-maʕnā ʔillā fī l-fāʔi waḥdahā.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (obsolete) synonym of إِلَّا (ʔillā, “except”)
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 86:4:

     "إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ"

     "ʔin kullu nafsin lammā ʕalayhā ḥāfiẓun"

     "There is no soul without a vigilant angel ˹recording everything˺."

Proper noun

لَمَا • (lamā) f

1. a female given name, Lama

Declension

Declension of noun لَمَا (lamā)

singular	singular invariable
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	—	لَمَا lamā	—
nominative	—	لَمَا lamā	—
accusative	—	لَمَا lamā	—
genitive	—	لَمَا lamā	—

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic لَمَّا (lammā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lam.ma/

Conjunction

لَمَّا • (lamma)

1. when, while

   لَمَّا جيت ذاك اليوم ما لقيتك

   lamma jīt dāk al-yōm mā ligītak

   When I came that day I didn't find you

2. as, as long as

Punjabi

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit 𑀮𑀁𑀩 (laṃba), from Sanskrit लम्ब (lamba). Compare Urdu لمبا / Hindi लम्बा (lambā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Punjabi) IPA^(key): /ləm.mäː/
• Rhymes: -äː

Adjective

لَمّا • (lammā) (feminine لمى, Gurmukhi spelling ਲੰਮਾ)

1. tall
2. long; high
3. reclined

Declension

Declension of لما

	masculine			feminine
	singular	plural		singular	plural
direct	لَمّا (lammā)	لَمّے (lamme)		لَمّی (lammī)	لَمِّیاں (lammiyāṉ)
oblique	لَمّے (lamme)	لَمّیاں (lammeyāṉ)		لَمّی (lammī)	لَمِّیاں (lammiyāṉ)

Derived terms

• لَمّائی f (lammā'ī, “height; length”)

Further reading

• Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002), “لمّا”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat‎ (in Punjabi), Lahore: ʻAzīz Pablisharz
• “لمّا”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2025
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “lamba”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 636

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic لَمَّا (lammā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lam.ma/, [ˈlam.ma]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Conjunction

لمّا • (lamma)

1. when

   Synonym: و (w-)

   لمّا يكون الواحد تعبان أحسن ما يروح عالنادي.

   lamma ykūn il-wāḥad taʕbān ʔaḥsan mā yrūḥ ʕal-nādi

   When someone is tired it's better that they not go to the gym.

2. as soon as, once (with subjunctive verb)

   Synonym: بسّ (bass)

Ushojo

Noun

لما (lamā)

1. jackal