From: <eysiz@...>

>> *Qalam* is Arabic for *pen*!!
>
> oh it's originally an arabic word then?
> i don't think it exists in modern romance
> lang. tho?

It exists at least in Italian (calamo), French (calame),
Spanish (calamo), and Portuguese (cálamo).

In Italian, more common than calamo are the derived
words calamaio = inkpot, and calamaro = squid.

Cheers
P.