Arabic word sheet
كَتَمَ
To conceal, to keep secret
- Type
- verb
- Root
- ك ت م
Meaning and usage
To conceal, to keep secret
Not to say what one knows, to keep a secret or a piece of news to oneself. It is said of someone who does not disclose a thing to one person or to everyone.
كَتَمَتْ سَلْمَى الْخَبَرَ عَنْ أُخْتِهَا.
Salma kept the news from her sister.
To hold back, to stifle
To keep in what one feels or what was about to escape. It is said of anger, laughter, tears or breath that one holds back.
كَتَمَ الطَّالِبُ ضَحِكَهُ فِي الصَّفِّ.
The student held back his laughter in class.
To be watertight (older usage)
It is said of a waterskin or leather vessel that holds its liquid well without letting it seep. This use belongs to the old language.
Word family
What the root means ك ت م
The root carries the idea of keeping a thing to oneself, the opposite of making it public. From it come keeping a secret, the one who knows how to stay silent, what is kept hidden and asking someone to say nothing.
secrecy, concealment
كِتْمَانٌ
discreet, tight-lipped
كَتُومٌ
keeper of a secret
كَاتِمٌ
hidden, kept secret
مَكْتُومٌ
to ask to keep secret
اِسْتَكْتَمَ
to keep (a thing) from someone
كَاتَمَ
Synonyms
to hide
أَخْفَى
Broader: it is also said of an object put out of sight, whereas the headword mostly concerns what one knows and does not say.
Opposites
to announce, to make public
أَعْلَنَ
to divulge
أَفْشَى