hala

See also: håla, halá, häla, hála, hâla, hâlâ, hālá, hală, hələ, halà, hāla, halą, and hálaʼ

Languages (31)

English

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Albanian • Basque • Catalan • Cebuano • Czech • Faroese • French • Galician • Hawaiian • Hungarian • Icelandic • Indonesian • Javanese • Laboya • Latin • Lokono • Nigerian Pidgin • Old Javanese • Papiamentu • Polish • Rohingya • Serbo-Croatian • Siraya • Slovak • Spanish • Swedish • Tagalog • Turkish • Veps • Welsh

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Page categories

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Hawaiian hala, ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *paŋdan. Doublet of pandan via Malay.

Noun

hala (plural halas or hala)

1. Pandanus tectorius, a screw pine native to Malesia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

Etymology 2

Adjective

hala (comparative more hala, superlative most hala)

1. (obsolete, dialect) Embarrassed or ashamed.
   • 1688, Thomas Shadwell, The Squire of Alsatia:

     Hack. Kiſs, kiſs her, Man; this Town affords ſuch every where; you'll hate the Country, when you ſee a little more; kiſs her, I ſay.
     Lolp. I am ſo hala; I am aſhamed.

Albanian

Alternative forms

• ala

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish حالا (hala).
Or from Arabic على (ala, “however; nevertheless; but; still; yet.”)

Adverb

halá

1. (colloquial) yet, still

   Synonyms: endé, akóma

Further reading

• “hala”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006
• “hala”, in FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎^[1] (in Albanian), 1980
• Jungg, G. (1895) “alaa”, in Fialuur i voghel sccȣp e ltinisct [Small Albanian–Italian dictionary], page 3

Basque

Etymology

From the Proto-Basque root *(h)ar- (“that (distal)”) with the suffix -la.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Navarro-Lapurdian) /hala/ [ha.la]
• IPA^(key): (Southern) /ala/ [a.la]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: ha‧la

Adverb

hala (not comparable)

1. thus

Derived terms

• hala bada
• hala berean
• hala edo hala
• hala ere
• hala eta ere
• hala eta guztiz ere (“however”)
• hala izan bedi
• hala izan dadila
• hala moduz
• hala moduzko
• hala nola (“for example”)
• hala-hala
• hala-holako
• hala-nolako
• halabehar
• halabeharreko
• halabeharrez
• halabeharrezko
• halaber
• halabiz
• halakatu
• halako (“like that”)
• halako batean
• halako batez
• halakoan
• halakoetan
• halakorik
• halakotz (“thus, therefore”)
• halakoxe
• halan
• halandaze
• halarik ere
• halatan
• halatsu
• halatsuko
• halaxe
• halaz
• halaz ere
• halaz eta guztiz ere
• halaz guztiz (“however”)

 

Further reading

• “hala”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], Euskaltzaindia
• “hala”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Catalan

Pronunciation

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

Verb

hala

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

Cebuano

Interjection

hala

1. an expression of surprise or warning

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦala]
• Rhymes: -ala

Noun

hala f (related adjective halový)

1. hall

Declension

Declension of hala (hard feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	hala	haly
genitive	haly	hal
dative	hale	halám
accusative	halu	haly
vocative	halo	haly
locative	hale	halách
instrumental	halou	halami

Further reading

• “hala”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “hala”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “hala”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Faroese

Noun

hala

1. inflection of hali:
   1. accusative/dative/genitive singular
   2. genitive plural

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

hala

1. third-person singular past historic of haler

Galician

Verb

hala

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

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈha.la/, [ˈhɐ.lə]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *sala, from Proto-Oceanic *salaq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *salaq.

Noun

hala

1. sin

   Ke kala mai i ka ʻino a me ka hala.

   Forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin.

2. error

Verb

hala

1. (intransitive) to sin
2. (intransitive) to err

Derived terms

• hoʻohala

Descendants

• English: hala

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *fara, from Proto-Oceanic *padran, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *paŋdan, from Proto-Austronesian *paŋudaN.

Noun

hala

1. screw pine, pandanus (Pandanus tectorius)

Derived terms

• lauhala
• pū hala

Etymology 3

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.

Verb

hala

1. (of time, intransitive) to pass, elapse
2. (intransitive) to die

Derived terms

• hoʻohala
• hoʻohala manawa

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “hala”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

Hungarian

Etymology

hal (“fish”) +‎ -a (“his/her/its”, possessive suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhɒlɒ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ha‧la

Noun

hala

1. third-person singular single-possession possessive of hal

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	hala	—
accusative	halát	—
dative	halának	—
instrumental	halával	—
causal-final	haláért	—
translative	halává	—
terminative	haláig	—
essive-formal	halaként	—
essive-modal	halául	—
inessive	halában	—
superessive	halán	—
adessive	halánál	—
illative	halába	—
sublative	halára	—
allative	halához	—
elative	halából	—
delative	haláról	—
ablative	halától	—
non-attributive possessive - singular	haláé	—
non-attributive possessive - plural	haláéi	—

Icelandic

Noun

hala

1. indefinite genitive plural of halur

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay hala.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈhala/ [ˈha.la]
• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ha‧la

Noun

hala (plural hala-hala)

1. (archaic) direction

   Synonym: arah

Further reading

• “hala” 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.

Javanese

Romanization

hala

1. Romanization of ꦲꦭ

Laboya

Noun

hala

1. incest

References

• Rina, A. Dj., Kabba, John Lado B. (2011) “hala”, in Kamus Bahasa Lamboya, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat [Dictionary of Lamboya Language, West Sumba Regency], Waikabubak: Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat, page 23
• Geirnaert-Martin, Danielle C. (1992) “hala”, in The Woven Land of Lamboya. Socio-cosmic Ideas and Values in West Sumba, Eastern Indonesia (CNWS Publications; 11), Leiden: Centre of Non-Western Studies, Leiden University

Latin

Verb

hālā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of hālō

References

• hala 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)

Lokono

Noun

hala

1. bench

References

• Willem J. A. Pet, A Grammar Sketch and Lexicon of Arawak (Lokono Dian) (2011)

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

From English holler.

Verb

hala

1. to scream, shout
   • 2024, “Crowd hala as dem carry ogbonge Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny body for burial”, in BBC News Pidgin‎^[2]:

     Wen im coffin bin arrive, crowd begin hala im name.

     When his coffin arrived, the crowd began to scream his name.

Old Javanese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ha.la/
• Rhymes: -la
• Hyphenation: la

Etymology 1

Unknown, probably related to Malay bala (“misfortune”) and Tagalog hala (“you're in trouble!”), probably Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *salaq (“wrong, in error (of behavior); miss (a _target); mistake, error, fault”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

hala

1. bad, evil

Alternative forms

• ala

Derived terms

• ahala
• ala gane
• amahala
• aṅala-hala
• aṅalani
• aṅhala-hala
• hinala-hala
• humalākĕn
• inalan
• kahala
• kala-hala
• kinahala
• kinahalan

 

Descendants

• > Javanese: ꦲꦭ (ala) (inherited)
• → Balinese: ᬳᬮ (ala)
• >? Malay: bala (see there for further descendants)
• >? Tagalog: hala

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Sanskrit हल (hala, “plough”).

Noun

hala

1. plough

Descendants

• > Javanese: ꦲꦭ (hala) (inherited)

References

• "hala" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Papiamentu

Alternative forms

For meaning 1:

• ala (alternative spelling)

Etymology 1

From Portuguese ala and Spanish ala.

Noun

hala

1. wing

Etymology 2

From Spanish halar and Spanish jalar and Dutch halen.

Verb

hala

1. to pull
2. to take

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxa.la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ha‧la

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Halle or French halle, both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *hallu, from Proto-Germanic *hallō. Doublet of hol (“hallway, lobby”) and cela (“cell”).

Noun

hala f

1. hall, concourse

   hala produkcyjna ― shopfloor

Declension

Declension of hala

	singular	plural
nominative	hala	hale
genitive	hali	hali/hal
dative	hali	halom
accusative	halę	hale
instrumental	halą	halami
locative	hali	halach
vocative	halo	hale

Derived terms

adjective

• halowy

 

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Slovak hoľa.

Noun

hala f

1. mountain meadow in the Alpine tundra, above the tree line
2. pasture in the Tatra mountains

Declension

Declension of hala

	singular	plural
nominative	hala	hale
genitive	hali	hali/hal
dative	hali	halom
accusative	halę	hale
instrumental	halą	halami
locative	hali	halach
vocative	halo	hale

Derived terms

adjective

• halny

 

nouns

• halniak
• halny

 

Further reading

• hala in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• hala in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Rohingya

Etymology

From Sanskrit.

Adjective

hala

1. black

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xala/

Etymology 1

From German Halle.

Noun

hala f (Cyrillic spelling хала)

1. hall

Etymology 2

From Ottoman Turkish خلا (halâ), from Arabic خَلَاء (ḵalāʔ).

Noun

hala f (Cyrillic spelling хала)

1. (regional, rare) WC, water closet
2. (regional, rare) toilet
3. (regional, rare) privy

Synonyms

• toalet, klozet, nužnik

Etymology 3

From Ottoman Turkish خاله (hâla, hâle), from Arabic خَالَة (ḵāla).

Noun

hala f (Cyrillic spelling хала)

1. (regional, rare, Islam) aunt (maternal or paternal)

   Synonym: tetka

Etymology 4

Adjective

hála or hàla or hȁla (Cyrillic spelling ха́ла or ха̀ла or ха̏ла)

1. Alternative form of ala (“spotted”)

Noun

hála or hàla or hȁla f (Cyrillic spelling ха́ла or ха̀ла or ха̏ла)

1. Alternative form of ala (“dragon”)

Siraya

Noun

hala

1. wine

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦala]

Noun

hala f (genitive singular haly, nominative plural haly, genitive plural hál, declension pattern of žena)

1. hall

Declension

Declension of hala

	singular	plural
nominative	hala	haly
genitive	haly	hál
dative	hale	halám
accusative	halu	haly
locative	hale	halách
instrumental	halou	halami

Derived terms

• halový

Further reading

• “hala”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• ala, alá

Interjection

¡hala!

1. come on! let’s go!
2. wow! (an indication of surprise)

   Synonym: guau

3. my goodness! (an indication of surprise, shock, or amazement)

   Synonyms: Dios mío, madre mía, vaya, joder, hostia

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

hala

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

Further reading

• “hala”, 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

Swedish

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

hala

1. inflection of hal:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German halen, from Old Saxon halon.

Verb

hala (present halar, preterite halade, supine halat, imperative hala)

1. (often with a particle like in (“in”), ner (“down”), upp (“up”), or fram (“forth”)) to reel, to haul (pull on something so as to bring more and more of it to oneself, often in order to bring in things attached)
2. to bring (something) somewhere by pulling on something, like above

   hala ner en flagga

   lower a flag

Conjugation

Conjugation of hala (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	hala		halas
Supine	halat		halats
Imperative	hala		—
Imper. plural1	halen		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	halar	halade	halas	halades
Ind. plural1	hala	halade	halas	halades
Subjunctive2	hale	halade	hales	halades
	Participles
Present participle	halande
Past participle	halad
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

See also

• fira
• hissa
• vinscha

References

• hala in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• hala in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• hala in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• hala in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
• hala in Svenskt nautiskt lexikon (1920)

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Compare Spanish hala (“my goodness”).

Alternative forms

• ala — dialectal
• la — clipping
• luh — slang

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /haˈla/ [hɐˈla]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ha‧la

Interjection

halá (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎ)

1. used to express warning or threat for a wrongdoing: you're in trouble!

   Synonym: lagot

Derived terms

• hala ka

 

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish hala (“come on; let's go; hurry up”) with the silent /h/ pronounced and with the stress possibly influenced by variant alá.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /haˈla/ [hɐˈla], /ˈhala/ [ˈhaː.lɐ]
• Rhymes: -a, -ala
• Syllabification: ha‧la

Interjection

halá or hala (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎ)

1. go ahead; proceed

   Synonym: sige

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈhalaʔ/ [ˈhaː.lɐʔ]
• Rhymes: -alaʔ
• Syllabification: ha‧la

Noun

halà (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎ) (obsolete)

1. referring to something based on what it looks like (while adding what it is)

Derived terms

• ihala
• mahala

 

Further reading

• “hala”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2024
• “hala”, 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

Turkish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish خاله (hala), from Arabic خَالَة (ḵāla, “maternal aunt”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɑˈɫɑ/

Noun

hala (definite accusative halayı, plural halalar)

1. paternal aunt (father’s sister)

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	hala
Definite accusative	halayı
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	hala	halalar
Definite accusative	halayı	halaları
Dative	halaya	halalara
Locative	halada	halalarda
Ablative	haladan	halalardan
Genitive	halanın	halaların

Synonyms

• bibi

See also

• hâlâ
• teyze

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑːlɑː/

Adverb

hala

1. Misspelling of hâlâ (“still, yet”).

Further reading

• “hala”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “hâlâ”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *halla.

Noun

hala

1. frost

Inflection

Inflection of hala (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	hala
genitive sing.	halan
partitive sing.	halad
partitive plur.	haloid
	singular	plural
nominative	hala	halad
accusative	halan	halad
genitive	halan	haloiden
partitive	halad	haloid
essive-instructive	halan	haloin
translative	halaks	haloikš
inessive	halas	haloiš
elative	halaspäi	haloišpäi
illative	halaha halha	haloihe
adessive	halal	haloil
ablative	halalpäi	haloilpäi
allative	halale	haloile
abessive	halata	haloita
comitative	halanke	haloidenke
prolative	haladme	haloidme
approximative I	halanno	haloidenno
approximative II	halannoks	haloidennoks
egressive	halannopäi	haloidennopäi
terminative I	halahasai halhasai	haloihesai
terminative II	halalesai	haloilesai
terminative III	halassai	—
additive I	halahapäi halhapäi	haloihepäi
additive II	halalepäi	haloilepäi

References

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “заморозок, иней”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[3], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Welsh

Etymology

Colloquial South Wales variant of hel (“send; pursue”) from Proto-Celtic *selgā, from Proto-Indo-European *selǵ- (“let loose, send”).

Pronunciation

• (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈhala/

Verb

hala (first-person singular present halaf, not mutable)(South Wales, transitive)

1. to drive
2. to send
3. to spend

Conjugation

Conjugation (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	helaf	heli	hela	helwn	helwch	helant	helir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/ conditional	helwn	helit	helai	helem	helech	helent	helid
preterite	helais	helaist	helodd	helasom	helasoch	helasant	helwyd
pluperfect	helaswn	helasit	helasai	helasem	helasech	helasent	helasid, helesid
present subjunctive	helwyf	helych	helo	helom	heloch	helont	heler
imperative	—	hela	heled	helwn	helwch	helent	heler
verbal noun	hala
verbal adjectives	heledig heladwy

Conjugation (colloquial)

Inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	hela i, helaf i	heli di	helith o/e/hi, heliff e/hi	helwn ni	helwch chi	helan nhw
conditional	helwn i, helswn i	helet ti, helset ti	helai fo/fe/hi, helsai fo/fe/hi	helen ni, helsen ni	helech chi, helsech chi	helen nhw, helsen nhw
preterite	helais i, heles i	helaist ti, helest ti	helodd o/e/hi	helon ni	heloch chi	helon nhw
imperative	—	hela	—	—	helwch	—
Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Synonyms

• (drive): gyrru
• (send): anfon
• (spend [money]): gwario
• (spend [time]): treulio

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “hala”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies