What it means
کلفت (koloft) means “thick,” “fat,” or “coarse” in Persian, used to describe the physical bulk of objects and bodies or the roughness of a texture. Its etymology is uncertain and not established by the main reference dictionaries. Some researchers have proposed a Turkic origin, but this has not been confirmed. In everyday speech کلفت can describe a thick rope, a stout branch, or a coarse piece of cloth, and when applied to a person it often implies heaviness in a blunt or even mildly unkind way. The contrast pair is باریک (bârik), meaning thin or narrow, for objects, and لاغر (lâghar), meaning slim, for people.
How to use it
- یه طناب کلفت میخوایم برای این کار. (ye tanâb-e koloft mikhâym barâye in kâr.) “We need a thick rope for this job.”
- اون تیکه چوب خیلی کلفته. (un tike-ye chub kheyli kolofte.) “That piece of wood is very thick.”
- این پارچه کلفته و گرمه. (in pârche koloft-e o garme.) “This fabric is coarse and warm.”
- صداش کلفت و بمه. (sedâsh koloft o bame.) “His voice is deep and heavy.”
Cultural note
In spoken Persian, کلفت is a direct, informal word with no strong literary tradition behind it, appearing far more often in daily conversation than in classical texts. It can apply to sound as well as texture: a deep baritone voice is sometimes called صدای کلفت (sedâ-ye koloft), a thick voice. In the context of crafts and textiles, artisans distinguish between fine-thread (ظریف, zarif) and coarse or heavy-thread (کلفت) weaves, making the word practically useful in traditional industries like carpet weaving and rope making.