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Ala in Scrabble and Meaning

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Is ala a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word ala is a Scrabble US word. The word ala is worth 3 points in Scrabble:

A1L1A1

Is ala a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word ala is a Scrabble UK word and has 3 points:

A1L1A1

Is ala a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word ala is a Words With Friends word. The word ala is worth 4 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

A1L2A1

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Valid words made from Ala

Results

3-letter words (2 found)

AAL,ALA,

2-letter words (3 found)

AA,AL,LA,

You can make 5 words from ala according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of ala

ala

English

Etymology 1

Originated 1730–40, borrowed from Latin āla (“wing”). Doublet of aisle.

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈeɪ.lə/
  • Rhymes: -eɪlə

Noun

ala (plural alae or alæ)

  1. (anatomy) A wing or winglike anatomic process or part, especially of bone.
  2. (botany) The flattened border of some stems, fruits, and seeds, or one of the two side petals of certain flowers in the pea family.
  3. (architecture) In ancient Rome, a small room opening into a larger room or courtyard.
Translations

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French à la, by way of its English derivation a la.

Preposition

ala

  1. (colloquial) Alternative form of a la.

References

  • “ala”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  • “ala”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
  • “ala”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  • “ala” examples at Wordnik

Anagrams

  • AAL, Aal, aal

Afar

Etymology 1

Related to Saho aluula.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈala/ [ˈʔʌlʌ]
  • Hyphenation: a‧la

Noun

ála m (plural alluwwá f or alwá f)

  1. animal, wild animal
  2. European, white person (clarification of this definition is needed)
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Related to Somali hal.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aˈla/ [ʔʌˈlʌ]
  • Hyphenation: a‧la

Noun

alá f (masculine rakúb, plural aloolí f)

  1. female camel, she-camel
Declension
Hypernyms
  • gaaláytu (“camel”)
See also
  • nargó (“baby female camel”)
  • addó (“juvenile female camel”)
  • erartó (“old female camel”)

References

  • E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN, page 37
  • Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2004) Parlons Afar: Langue et Culture, L'Hammartan, →ISBN, page 24
  • Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎[11], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin āla (“wing”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈala/ [ˈa.la]
  • Rhymes: -ala
  • Syllabification: a‧la

Noun

ala f (plural ales)

  1. wing
  2. fin
    Synonym: aleta

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑˈɫɑ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *āla.

Adjective

ala (comparative daha ala, superlative ən ala)

  1. variegated
  2. (poetic) blue (of eyes)
    ala gözlər ― blue eyes
Derived terms
  • alagöz
  • alagözlü

Noun

ala (definite accusative alanı, plural alalar)

  1. vitiligo (the patchy loss of skin pigmentation.)
Declension

Etymology 2

Likely from ay bala.

Interjection

ala

  1. dude
    Ala, nə eləyirsən?! ― Dude, what are you doing?!

See also

  • ədə!
  • az!

References

Balinese

Romanization

ala

  1. romanization of ᬳᬮ

Baoule

Noun

ala

  1. iroko (Milicia excelsa, syn. Chlorophora excelsa)

References

Basque

Etymology

Presumably from Proto-Basque *aLa.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ala/ [a.la]
  • Rhymes: -ala, -a
  • Hyphenation: a‧la

Conjunction

ala

  1. or (exclusive)

Usage notes

The conjunction ala is an exclusive or, while edo is an inclusive or. For instance, while Sagarrak edo udareak nahi al dituzu? and Sagarrak ala udareak nahi dituzu? are both correct, the former asks in a yes or no question if you want apples, pears, apples and pears, or nothing; while the latter asks which one you want, the apples, or the pears.

References

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin āla (“wing”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈa.lə]
  • IPA(key): (Valencia) [ˈa.la]
  • Homophone: hala

Noun

ala f (plural ales)

  1. wing (appendage that enables flight)

Derived terms

  • alat
  • aleta
  • aletejar

Related terms

  • alar

Further reading

  • “ala”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
  • “ala”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
  • “ala” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
  • “ala” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Chickasaw

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aˈla/

Verb

ala (active, short verb)

  1. (intransitive) to arrive, to come (I)
  2. (intransitive) to be born (I)
    Synonym: atta
  3. (intransitive) to be here, to get here (I)
  4. (transitive) to come to, to arrive at (I;3)

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ala.

Pronunciation

Noun

ala (genitive ala, partitive ala)

  1. area, territory, region
    Sellelt alalt on leitud palju rauda. ― A lot of iron has been found in this area.
  2. (in working life, in sciences) field
    Ainuke ala, mis mind huvitab, on ajalugu. ― The only field which interests me is history.
  3. (business) branch

Declension

Further reading

  • “ala”, in [PSV] Eesti keele põhisõnavara sõnastik [Dictionary of Estonian Basic Vocabulary] (in Estonian) (online version, not updated), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2014
  • “ala”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
  • “ala”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018, →ISBN
  • ala in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse ala, from Proto-Germanic *alaną (“to nourish, grow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to grow”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɛaːla/
  • Rhymes: -ɛaːla
  • Homophones: æla, ælað

Verb

ala (third person singular past indicative ól, third person plural past indicative ólu, supine alið)

  1. (kvæði) to give birth to
  2. to foster
  3. to nourish
  4. to breed

Conjugation

Finnish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Finnic *ala; see ala- for more. Already in Finnic, this stem, originally meaning "lower, under" was repurposed as a noun meaning "underside, lower side", from which the other senses have developed.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɑlɑ/, [ˈɑ̝lɑ̝]
  • Rhymes: -ɑlɑ
  • Syllabification(key): a‧la
  • Hyphenation(key): ala

Noun

ala

  1. area, field, domain (one's field of expertise or activity)
  2. field, discipline (specific branch of knowledge, learning, or practice; e.g. in work or sciences)
  3. industry, sector, branch (business, studies, etc.)
  4. (mathematics) area
    Synonym: pinta-ala
  5. (archaic) underside
Declension
Derived terms

Further reading

  • “ala”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[12] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-01

Etymology 2

ala- +‎ -(k) (k-lative singular)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɑlɑˣ/, [ˈɑ̝lɑ̝(ʔ)]
  • Rhymes: -ɑlɑ
  • Syllabification(key): a‧la
  • Hyphenation(key): ala

Postposition

ala [with genitive] (dialectal)

  1. (of motion) synonym of alle (“(to) under”)
Usage notes

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɑlɑˣ/, [ˈɑ̝lɑ̝(ʔ)]
  • Rhymes: -ɑlɑ
  • Syllabification(key): a‧la
  • Hyphenation(key): ala

Verb

ala

  1. inflection of alkaa:
    1. present active indicative connegative
    2. second-person singular present imperative
    3. second-person singular present active imperative connegative

Franco-Provençal

Noun

ala (Valdôtain, Piemontais)

  1. Alternative form of âla (“wing”) documented in the following location(s): Aosta, Arnad, Ayas, Aymavilles, Brusson, Challand-St-Anselme, Challand-St-Victor, Champorcher, Charvensod, Cogne, Courmayeur, Doues, Fontainemore, La Thuile, Montjovet, Morgex, Nus, Quart, St-Oyen, St-Rhémy-en-Bosses, St-Vincent, Valgrisenche, Valpelline; Giaglione

Galician

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin āla. Compare the inherited á.

Noun

ala f (plural alas)

  1. wing
    Synonym: á

Further reading

  • “ala”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Gallurese

Etymology

Inherited from Classical Latin āla, from earlier *axla, from axis, from Proto-Italic *aksis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- (“axis”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈala/

Noun

ala f (plural ali)

  1. wing

References

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈa.la/, [ˈɐ.lə]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *hala, from Proto-Oceanic *salan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *zalan, from Proto-Austronesian *zalan.

Noun

ala

  1. way, path, road
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

ala

  1. to waken
  2. (stative) awake
  3. to arise, rise up
Synonyms
  • (rise): See Thesaurus:ala
Derived terms
  • hoʻāla (“to awaken (sb.), incite, stir up”)
  • hoʻoala (“to awaken (sb.)”)

Etymology 3

Verb

ala

  1. (rare) alternative form of ale (“to swallow”)
    Synonyms: alaō, alapoho

Etymology 4

Determiner

ala

  1. (demonstrative) variant of kēlā: that
Usage notes

kēlā and lā are more frequently used.

References

  • Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “ala”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press
  • ala in Combined Hawaiian Dictionary, at trussel2.com.

Hoyahoya

Noun

ala

  1. grandfather

References

  • Philip Carr, Hoyahoya organised phonology data (2006)

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaːla/
  • Rhymes: -aːla

Etymology 1

From Old Norse ala, from Proto-Germanic *alaną (“to nourish, grow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to grow”).

Verb

ala (strong verb, third-person singular past indicative ól, third-person plural past indicative ólu, supine alið)

  1. to bear, give birth to [with accusative]
  2. to foster [with accusative]
  3. to feed, nourish [with accusative]
Conjugation
Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

ala

  1. indefinite genitive plural of alur

Igala

Etymology

Compare with Ebira àra, probably from Idoma ala, displaced native àgwùtọ̀

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /á.lá/

Noun

álá

  1. sheep
    Synonym: (obsolete) àgwùtọ̀
  2. (idiomatic, offensive) idiot, stupid person
    Synonyms: àgwùtọ̀, álá onẹ̀

Derived terms

  • Ígáláà

Igbo

Alternative forms

  • ànị̀ (Onicha)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Igboid *ɛ́-làCḭ. Cognate with Ekpeye ɛ́lɛ̀, Ogbah àlɪ̀, Ezaa àlɪ̀, Izi àlɪ̀, Ukwuani-Aboh-Ndoni ànɪ̀, Ika àlɪ̀. Compare Proto-Yoruboid *á-lɛ̀, (Yoruba alẹ̀).

Noun

ala

  1. earth, land, soil, ground.
Derived terms
  • ala eze (“kingdom”)
  • ala mmụọ (“spirit world”)
  • Ọmenala

Etymology 2

From Proto-Igboid [Term?]. Cognate with Ogbah ɛ́rã́, Ezaa ɛ́rá, Izi ɛ́rá, Ukwuani-Aboh-Ndoni ɛ́lá, Ika ɛ́rã́. Possibly cognate with Yoruba wàrà.

Noun

ala

  1. breast
  2. milk

References

Indonesian

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈala/ [ˈa.la]
  • Rhymes: -ala
  • Syllabification: a‧la

Etymology 1

From French à la, perhaps through English a la.

Preposition

ala

  1. (colloquial) a la, in the style or manner of
    Synonyms: khas, gaya, secara

Etymology 2

From Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā).

Preposition

ala

  1. on, over
    Synonyms: atas, pada, kepada, akan

Noun

ala

  1. (law) land, with the owner or descendants still have the main rights in that land

Etymology 3

From Arabic أَعْلَى (ʔaʕlā).

Adjective

ala

  1. (obsolete) high
    Synonym: tinggi

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Geser-Gorom [Term?].

Noun

ala (plural ala-ala)

  1. small rivers that lead to the sea

Etymology 5

Borrowed from Balinese [Term?].

Noun

ala (plural ala-ala)

  1. outrigger
    Synonym: cadik

Etymology 6

Learned borrowing from Latin āla (“wing”).

Noun

ala (plural ala-ala)

  1. ala:
    1. (anatomy) a wing or winglike anatomic process or part, especially of bone
    2. (botany) the flattened border of some stems, fruits, and seeds, or one of the two side petals of certain flowers in the pea family

Further reading

  • “ala” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈalˠə/

Noun

ala

  1. Only used in phrases; see Derived terms below

Derived terms

  • ar ala na huaire (“on the spur of the moment; within a second”)
  • gach ala (“every now and then”)

Further reading

  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ala”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin āla.

Noun

ala f

  1. wing

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈa.la/
  • Rhymes: -ala
  • Hyphenation: à‧la

Etymology 1

From Latin āla.

Noun

ala f (plural ali or (archaic or poetic) ale)

  1. wing
    Synonym: alia (archaic; slang)
Related terms

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

ala

  1. inflection of alare:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Jarai

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hulaR, from Proto-Austronesian *SulaR.

Noun

ala (classifier drơi)

  1. snake

Javanese

Romanization

ala

  1. romanization of ꦲꦭ

Kapampangan

Alternative forms

  • la (text messaging)

Etymology

From Proto-Central Philippine *wadaq, from Proto-Philippine *wada (“to be, exist”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wada.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /əˈlaʔ/ [əˈläʔ]
  • Hyphenation: a‧la

Adjective

alâ

  1. nothing; no one; none; nonexistent; zero
    Synonyms: e, emiki-, emika-
  2. missing; absent; gone; lost
    Synonyms: liban, bating, lili
  3. free (from); lacking; without
    Synonyms: ligtas, kulang
  4. (by extension) broken up (in a relationship)
    Synonym: mikawani
  5. (euphemistic) dead
    Synonyms: mete, mangubie, mitda

Ladin

Etymology

From a +‎ la.

Contraction

ala

  1. at or to the (+ feminine singular noun)

Latin

Etymology

For earlier *axla, from axis, from Proto-Italic *aksis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs- (“axis”).

Pronunciation

  • (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈaː.ɫa]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈaː.la]

Noun

āla f (genitive ālae); first declension

  1. a wing (appendage of an animal's body that enables it to fly)
  2. (anatomy) the armpit (the upper and under part of the arm, where it unites with the shoulder)
  3. (of an animal) shoulder blade, axilla (the hollow where the foreleg is joined to the shoulder)
  4. (of a plant) the hollow where a limb joins the trunk of a tree
  5. (architecture) wings, side halls or porches, waiting areas, colonnades, side apartments (side rooms off the main room, the side apartments on the right and left of a court)
  6. (military) a wing (portion of an army, cavalry force (usually) deployed on an army's flank)
  7. (transferred) wings (the members of a group placed along the perimeter)

Inflection

First-declension noun.

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Further reading

  • ala in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • ala in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • "ala", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • ala in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • ala in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Latvian

Etymology

The usual theory considers ala to be borrowed from Middle Low German hol (“depth, hole, cave”), from Old Saxon hol, or maybe from the same form in Middle Dutch or German Low German (East Frisian); cf. German Höhle (“cave”), all from Proto-West Germanic *hol.

A different view suggests that ala could also be a reflex of an old Proto-Indo-European stem *h₁el-, *ol-, *al- (“to flow, to drain”) with various Baltic reflexes: dialectal alots, alogs, standard avots (“(water) source”), alksna, aluksna (“miry, swampy place”) (cf. place names like Alūksne, Alūkstes), Lithuanian alė́ti (“to flow, to drip”). The original meaning of ala would thus have been “(water) source”, from which “place (e.g., cave, rift, pit) from which water springs,” and finally simply “cave,” possibly under the influence of the aforementioned Germanic words.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ala]

Noun

ala f (4th declension)

  1. cave (space or cavity formed underground, especially between rocks, or in the face of a cliff or hillside)
    klinšu alas ― rock caves
    pazemes ala ― subterranean cave
    alu labirinti ― cave labyrinths
    alu cilvēks ― caveman
    alu zīmējumi ― cave drawings, paintings
    Abhāzijā atrodas ala, kuras labirinti ir vairāk nekā trīs kilometrus gari ― in Abkhazia there is a cave with labyrinths longer than three kilometers
  2. burrow, hole, lair, den (the dwelling of some animals, in the form of a cavity with one or many exits)
    peles, lapsas alas ― mice, fox holes
    āpšu, trušu alas ― badger, rabbit holes, burrows
    rakt alu ― to dig a hole, burrow
    nekā sevišķa tur neredzēja, izņemot nelielu caurumu zemē... likās tā kā kurmja ala ― there was nothing special to see there, except a small whole on the ground... it seemed to be a molehill (lit. hole)

Declension

Derived terms

  • alu cilvēks

See also

  • speleoloģija

References

Laz

Conjunction

ala

  1. Latin spelling of ალა (ala)

Malagasy

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈa.la/, [ˈa.lə̥]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *halas, from Proto-Austronesian *Salas. Cognate with Balinese ᬳᬮᬲ᭄ (alas), Javanese ꦲꦭꦱ꧀ (alas).

Noun

ala

  1. forest

Etymology 2

From Proto-Austronesian *alaq (“fetch; get; take”).

Adverb

ala

  1. without; freed from; removed from

Malay

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ə

Preposition

ala (Jawi spelling الا or على)

  1. like
  2. according to
  3. on

References

  • "ala" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.

Further reading

  • “ala” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Mirandese

Noun

ala f (plural alas)

  1. wing
  2. (nautical) sail

North Wahgi

Noun

ala

  1. mistake

References

  • Heather and Don Mc Lean, North Wahgi (Yu We) Organised Phonology Data (2005), p. 2

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

Seemingly recently borrowed from Central Kurdish ئاڵا (alla), the origin is uncertain. Perhaps derived from al (“side”), or a reflection of Arabic علامة or Turkic al (“red”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑːˈlɑː/

Noun

ala m (Arabic spelling ئالا)

  1. flag, banner, standard

Usage notes

Often times confused to be al instead of ala by Northern Kurdish speakers, because the word is feminine and the feminine Izafe marker is -a-.

Declension

References

  • Chyet, Michael L. (2020) “ala”, in Ferhenga Birûskî: Kurmanji–English Dictionary (Language Series; 1), volume 1, London: Transnational Press, page 5

Northern Ndebele

Verb

-ála

  1. to refuse

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Northern Sami

Etymology

From Proto-Samic *ëlëk.

Pronunciation

  • (Kautokeino) IPA(key): /ˈala/

Adverb

ala

  1. over
  2. on, on top

Derived terms

  • alcces-, alcce-, allas- (locative stems of ieš (“self”))

Postposition

ala

  1. over
  2. on, onto, on top of

Further reading

  • Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎[13], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse ala, from Proto-Germanic *alaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi.

Alternative forms

  • ale (e infinitive)
  • ålå (dialectal)

Verb

ala (present tense aler or el, past tense alte or ol, past participle alt or ale, present participle alande, imperative al)

  1. to foster

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

ala

  1. definite plural of al

References

  • “ala” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin āla.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [alo̞]

Noun

ala f (plural alas)

  1. wing

Old English

Noun

āla

  1. genitive plural of āl

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *ālu. Cognates include Old English æl and Old Norse alr.

Noun

āla f

  1. awl

Descendants

  • German: Ahle

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *alaną (“to nourish, grow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi, from *h₂el- (“to raise, feed, nourish”). Cognate with Old English alan and Latin alō.

Verb

ala (singular present indicative elr, singular past indicative ól, plural past indicative ólu, past participle alinn)

  1. to produce
  2. to testify
  3. to breed
  4. to nourish
Conjugation
Descendants
  • Icelandic: ala
  • Faroese: ala
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ala
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ale
  • Old Swedish: ala
    • Swedish: uppala
  • Old Danish: alæ
  • Old Gutnish: ala

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

ala

  1. indefinite genitive plural of alr

Further reading

  • Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “ala”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Old Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈala/

Etymology 1

From Latin āla.

Noun

ala f (plural alas)

  1. wing (limb)
Descendants
  • Ladino: ala (Latin spelling)
  • Spanish: ala

Etymology 2

A contraction of a (“to, toward, in, at”) + la (“the”); the feminine singular definite article.

Contraction

ala (plural alas)

  1. (followed by a singular feminine noun) to the, toward the
    • c. 1200, Almeric, Fazienda de Ultramar, f. 2v. b.
  2. (followed by a singular feminine noun) in the, at the
Related terms
  • al

Papiamentu

Alternative forms

  • hala (alternative spelling)

Etymology

From Portuguese ala and Spanish ala.

Noun

ala

  1. wing

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin āla.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈa.la/
  • Rhymes: -ala
  • Syllabification: a‧la
  • Homophone: Ala

Noun

ala f

  1. (historical, Ancient Rome) ala (Roman allied military unit)

Declension

Further reading

  • ala in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -alɐ
  • Hyphenation: a‧la

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin āla. Compare the inherited doublet á.

Noun

ala f (plural alas)

  1. a flank
    1. (military) a flank unit
    2. (sports) wing (position on either side of the field)
  2. (chiefly politics) faction (ideologically distinct group within an organisation)
  3. a row among a larger group of people or things
    1. (military) a rank or file of soldiers
    2. (Brazil) a subdivision of a carnival block consisting of similarly themed participants
  4. (architecture) wing (part of a building that extends from the main structure)
  5. (chess) each player’s half of the chessboard
  6. (dated) wing (part of an animal)

Noun

ala m or f by sense (plural alas)

  1. (sports) wing; winger (player in a wing position)
  2. (aviation) wingman (support pilot in a squadron)
Related terms
  • alado
  • alar

Interjection

ala!

  1. out! (demanding that someone leave)
    Synonym: fora

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

ala

  1. inflection of alar:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Pukapukan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *hala, from Proto-Oceanic *jalan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *zalan, from Proto-Austronesian *zalan.

Noun

ala

  1. path, way, lane, track

Derived terms

Further reading

  • Te Pukamuna | Pukapuka Dictionary

Rade

Etymology

From Proto-Chamic *ʔular, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *hulaʀ, from Proto-Austronesian *Sulaʀ.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /alaa/, [ʔəlaa]

Noun

ala

  1. snake

Romansch

Alternative forms

  • ela (Puter)

Etymology

From Latin āla.

Noun

ala f (plural alas)

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Vallader) wing
  2. mouldboard

Sassarese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈala/

Noun

ala f (plural ali)

  1. (dialectal) alternative form of ara (“wing”)

References

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ǎla/

Adverb

àla (Cyrillic spelling а̀ла)

  1. (used for emphasis, or as an intensifier) expression of awe, surprise, dismay, etc.
    Ala je bilo lijepo! ― It sure was nice!
    Ala lažeš! ― Oh, you're lying!

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish آلا (ala, “spotted, variegated”).

Alternative forms

  • hala

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ǎːla/

Adjective

ála or àla or ȁla (Cyrillic spelling а́ла or а̀ла or а̏ла, indeclinable)

  1. piebald, spotted

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *xala, unless borrowed from Ottoman Turkish آلا (ala, “spotted, variegated”), euphemistic for a snake.

Alternative forms

  • hala

Noun

ála or àla or ȁla f (Cyrillic spelling а́ла or а̀ла or а̏ла)

  1. dragon, type of mythical creature similar to dragon
See also

References

  • Knüppel, Michael (2009) “Zu serbo-kroatisch hȁla ∼ ȁla ‘Drache’”, in Wiener Slavistisches Jahrbuch‎[14] (in German), volume 55, pages 179–183

Sicilian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin āla.

Noun

ala f (plural ali)

  1. wing

References

  • Traina, Antonino (1868) “ala”, in Nuovo vocabolario Siciliano-Italiano [New Sicilian-Italian vocabulary] (in Italian), Liber Liber, published 2020, page 179

Southern Ndebele

Verb

-ála

  1. to refuse

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈala/ [ˈa.la]
  • Rhymes: -ala
  • Syllabification: a‧la
  • Homophone: hala

Etymology 1

From Old Spanish ala (compare Ladino ala), from Latin āla.

Noun

ala f (plural alas)

  1. wing (of a bird or insect)
    El pájaro tiene un ala herida. ― The bird has an injured wing.
  2. wing (of an aircraft)
    El avión perdió un ala durante el vuelo. ― The plane lost a wing during the flight.
  3. brim (of a hat)
  4. (military) flank (of a formation)
  5. (sports) wing (part of the field)
  6. (in the plural) flip, wings (hairstyle)

Noun

ala m or f by sense (plural alas)

  1. (sports) winger
Usage notes
  • Before feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like ala, the singular definite article takes the form of el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el ala. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al ala, del ala.
This also applies to the indefinite article, which takes the form of un, which is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una also occurs): un ala or una ala. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).
However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) are used: la mejor ala, una buena ala.
  • In these cases, el and un are not masculine but feminine, deriving from Latin illa and una, respectively, even though they are identical in form to the corresponding masculine singular articles. Thus, they are allomorphs of the feminine singular articles la and una.
  • The use of these allomorphs does not change the gender agreement of the adjectives modifying the feminine noun: el ala única, un(a) ala buena.
  • In the plural, the usual feminine plural articles and determiners (las, unas, etc.) are always used.


Derived terms
Related terms

Etymology 2

Interjection

ala

  1. alternative spelling of hala

Further reading

  • “ala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Sranan Tongo

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ala/, [a̠la̠], [ɑ̟lɑ̟]

Pronoun

ala

  1. everything

Determiner

ala

  1. every; all

Sundanese

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ala (“take, get, fetch; marry”)

Verb

ala (Sundanese script ᮃᮜ, active ngala, passive diala)

  1. to take, to fetch

Derived terms

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic آلَة (ʔāla).

Pronunciation

Noun

ala class IX (plural ala class X)

  1. tool, instrument
    Synonym: kifaa
  2. sheath, scabbard

References

Swazi

Verb

-ála

  1. to refuse

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔaˈla/ [ʔɐˈla]
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: a‧la
  • Homophone: Ala

Interjection

alá (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎ) (dialectal)

  1. expressing negation or disapproval, or sometimes agreement, depending on the tenor of expression
Derived terms
See also

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish ala, from Latin āla.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈʔala/ [ˈʔaː.lɐ]
  • Rhymes: -ala
  • Syllabification: a‧la

Noun

ala (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎ)

  1. (zootomy, uncommon) wing
    Synonyms: pakpak, bagwis
  2. (carpentry) table flap (hinged leaf)
  3. (carpentry) doorleaf
  4. (architecture) extension of building sideways
Related terms
See also

Etymology 3

Apheresis of wala.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔaˈlaʔ/ [ʔɐˈlaʔ]
  • Rhymes: -aʔ
  • Syllabification: a‧la

Pronoun

alâ (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎ)

  1. alternative form of wala

Adjective

alâ (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎ)

  1. alternative form of wala

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Spanish a la.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔaˈla/ [ʔɐˈla]
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: a‧la
  • Homophone: Ala

Adverb

alá (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎ)

  1. o'clock
    Synonym: (besides one o' clock) alas
Usage notes
  • Used only for one o' clock.
Related terms

Further reading

  • “ala”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
  • Cuadrado Muñiz, Adolfo (1972) Hispanismos en el tagalo: diccionario de vocablos de origen español vigentes en esta lengua filipina, Madrid: Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, page 20

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈa.la]
  • Hyphenation: a‧la

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *hala. Cognates include Hawaiian ala and Samoan ala.

Noun

ala

  1. path, road
  2. reason, cause
  3. method, way
  4. transport
  5. working section of a mat
  6. (euphemistic) rectum

Verb

ala

  1. (transitive) to result from
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qara. Cognates include Hawaiian ala and Samoan ala.

Verb

ala (plural feala)

  1. (stative) to be awake
  2. (stative) to be accurate
  3. (stative) to be sharp
  4. (stative, of watercraft) to be close to the wind

References

  • R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎[15], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 11

Turkish

Etymology

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish آلا (ala), from Proto-Turkic *āla (“variegated”). Doublet of ela.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑˈɫɑ/
  • Hyphenation: a‧la

Adjective

ala

  1. multicolored, pied, variegated
  2. excellent, superb, splendid
  3. clipping of alabalık (“trout”)

Declension

Derived terms

  • alabalık (“trout”)
  • alaca (“pied”)
  • alaca karanlık (“dusk, twilight”)

See also

  • âlâ

References

  • Redhouse, James W. (1890) “آلا”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎[16], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 179

Uneapa

Etymology

From earlier *lala via dissimilation (compare Muduapa lala), from Proto-Oceanic *kilala via truncation, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kilala, from Proto-Austronesian *kilala.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ala/

Verb

ala

  1. to know

Further reading

  • Terry Crowley et al, The Oceanic Languages (2013), page 366

Veps

Etymology

Related to Finnish älä.

Verb

ala

  1. second-person singular imperative of ei
  2. do not

Xhosa

Verb

-âla

  1. to refuse

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Yámana

Verb

ala

  1. drink

Yoruba

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /à.là/

Noun

àlà

  1. purity, white cloth, a symbol of the god Ọbàtálá
    Synonym: ẹfun

Etymology 2

From à- (“nominalizing prefix”) +‎ lá (“to dream”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /à.lá/

Noun

àlá

  1. dream, vision
Synonyms
Derived terms

Zulu

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

-âla

  1. to deny, refuse, decline
  2. to forbid
  3. to reject
  4. to refuse give [with na-]
  5. to hate, detest

Inflection

Derived terms

  • -alela (applicative)
  • -alisa (causative)
  • -alayala (diminutive)
  • -alisisa (intensive)
  • -aleka (neuter-passive)
  • -aliwa (passive)
  • -alana (reciprocal)

References

  • C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “ala”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “ala”

Source: wiktionary.org