The name Kali comes from kāla (meaning black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva). Kālī is the feminine of kāla ("black, dark coloured"). Kāla primarily means "black," but also means "time." Kālī means "the black one" and also "time", "beyond time" and "power of time". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "the Time" or "Controller of Time". Hence, Kali is considered the goddess of time and change.