kalian

[kahl-yahn]

See more synonyms for kalian on Thesaurus.com

noun

a Persian tobacco pipe in which the smoke is drawn through water; hookah.

Origin of kalian

First recorded in 1825–35, kalian is from the Persian word qalyān

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for kalian

plumbing, conduit, main, sluice, hookah, hubble-bubble, kalian

Examples from the Web for kalian

Historical Examples of kalian

He then began to make apologies for not having a kalian (a pipe) to offer me, 'for,' said he, 'I am not a smoker of tobacco.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan
James Morier
Sometimes the conversation was kept up for several hours, until tea and the kalian had been passed around.
Our Little Persian Cousin
E. Cutler Shedd
Another pipe-bearer lighted the kalian at intervals and handed it into the carriage to his master.
Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan, Volume I (of 2)
Isabella L. Bird
There is also a large quantity of tobacco grown in Persia, which is used for the “kalian” (or water-pipe) and cigarette smoking.
Behind the Veil in Persia and Turkish Arabia
M. E. Hume-Griffith

British Dictionary definitions for kalian

kalian

noun

another name for hookah

Word Origin for kalian

C19: from Persian, from Arabic qalyān

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012