Kaif
/kaɪf/noun
A state of pleasurable relaxation, dreamy contentment, or intoxication.
Did you know?Its Arabic ancestor kayf could mean both “how” and a person’s mood or pleasure, linking everyday questioning with the search for an altered state of contentment.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
كَيْف (kayf)
“How; manner; state, mood, or pleasurable condition”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
kayf
“Pleasure, enjoyment, or a state of well-being”
Ottoman Period
Ottoman Turkish
keyif
“Leisurely pleasure, enjoyment, or relaxed contentment”
19th Century
English
kif / kief
“A state of dreamy pleasure or intoxication; also cannabis resin in related usage”
Modern English
English
kaif
“A pleasurable, dreamy state of relaxation or intoxication”