qumësht
/ˈcuməʃt/masculine
Milk in Albanian is qumësht. Wiktionary also lists tambël.
Meaning: liquid (noun)
Ways to say it
| Albanian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| qumësht | /ˈcuməʃt/ (Tosk) /ˈcuməʃt/ (Northern, Tosk) |
masculine |
| tambël | [ˈtɑ̃m(b)əl] (Gheg, narrow) [-ˈɒ̃-] (Gheg, narrow) |
Kosovo, masculine |
The term refers to the liquid produced by mammals. Related verbs such as mjel or mîl are used when you want to express the action of milking a mammal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Kosovo, the word tambël is used as a regional variant for milk.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify a particular liquid, the masculine noun qumësht can take the definite suffix -in to become qumështin, meaning 'the milk'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈcuməʃt/
Did you know?
- The term qumësht may not be a Latin loanword, but could instead descend from an ancient Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to clean' or 'to slide'.
- The regional Kosovo term for milk, tambël, is actually an adjective that literally means 'sweet'.
- The connection between the words for 'milk' and 'sweet' in Albanian mirrors a pattern found in Persian and Proto-Turkic languages.
Examples in context
- A ke blerë qumësht tek tregtari?Did you buy milk from the merchant?
- Unë pij një gotë qumësht.I drink a glass of milk.
- A ke pak qumësht në frigorifer?Do you have some milk in the refrigerator?
Example conversation
Alban and Majlinda are preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
- AlbanMajlinda, a blenë qumësht sot?Majlinda, did you buy milk today?
- MajlindaPo, e vendosa në tavolinë.Yes, I put it on the table.
- AlbanFaleminderit, do të bëj pak qumësht me mjaltë.Thank you, I will make some milk with honey.
- MajlindaShijon shumë në mëngjes!It tastes great in the morning!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk” translations and entries qumësht, tambël, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qumësht, tambël, CC BY-SA 4.0.
