ала

From Proto-Abkhaz-Abaza *lá (“dog”).

а-ла́ • (a-lá)

1. dog

From Proto-Abkhaz-Abaza *lá (“eye”).

а́-ла • (á-la)

1. eye (organ of sight)

From Proto-Turkic *āla. Cognate with Kyrgyz ала (ala), etc.

• IPA^(key): /ɑˈɫɑ/

ала • (ala)

1. variegated

• ал

• Башҡортса-Русса Һүҙлек [Bashkir-Russian Dictionary]‎^[1] (in Bashkir), Мәскәү: СССР Фәндәр Академияһы, Башҡортостан Филиалы, Тарих, Тел һәм Әҙәбиәт Институты, 1958

Believed to be borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀλλά (allá, “but”), although Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary also claims a joint Slavic origin, namely Proto-Slavic *ale. Under this theory, the two influences are merged into one in this term. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Which is correct?”)

• ал (al)

• IPA^(key): [ɐˈɫa]

• Audio (Standard Bulgarian, l-vocalization):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɫa
• Syllabification^(key): а‧ла
• Hyphenation^(key): ала

ала́ • (alá)

1. but (conjunction)

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:но

This conjunction is often used in literature and children's stories and may contribute to an ominous or moralizing tone.

• “ала̀¹”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “ала”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “ала̀¹”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 8
• “ала”, in Български тълковен речник [Bulgarian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), fourth edition, Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 2005, →ISBN, page 23

From French à la or Italian alla.

• (unstressed) IPA^(key): [ɐɫɐ]
• (stressed, usually in isolation) IPA^(key): [ɐˈɫa]

  • Audio (Standard Bulgarian, l-vocalization):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɫa
• Syllabification^(key): а‧ла
• Hyphenation^(key): ала

ала́ • (alá) (informal, rare)

1. a la (in the style of)

• “ала̀²”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• Georgiev, Vladimir I., editor (1971), “ала̀²”, in Български етимологичен речник [Bulgarian Etymological Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), volume 1 (А – З), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Pubg. House, →ISBN, page 8
• “ала”, in Български тълковен речник [Bulgarian Explanatory Dictionary] (in Bulgarian), fourth edition, Sofia: Nauka i Izkustvo, 2005, →ISBN, page 23

From Proto-Nakh.

ала • (ala)

1. to say

ала • (ala)

1. a strap in a reindeer yoke
2. reindeer yoke

• IPA^(key): /ɑˈlɑ/
• Rhymes: -ɑ
• Hyphenation: ала

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

ала • (ala)

1. maybe, probably, could be
2. hardly, doubtful, who knows
3. sometimes... sometimes, either... or, now... now

   ала йӱр йӱреш, ала лум лумеш

   ala jür jüreš, ala lum lumeš

   sometimes it rains, sometimes it snows

4. or

   эрла толам ала уке, ом пале

   erla tolam ala uke, om paĺe

   I'll come tomorrow or I won't, I don't know

5. about, roughly

ала • (ala)

1. emphatic particle

   шонет мо тый мыйым ала?

   šońet mo tyj myjym ala?

   well, are you thinking about me?

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

ала • (ala)

1. pitch, tar, resin

   Synonym: киш (kiš)

• J. Bradley et al. (2023), “ала”, in The Mari Web Project: Mari-English Dictionary, University of Vienna

ала • (ala)

1. sweet

Akin to Chechen алу (alu).

ала • (ala)

1. flame

From Proto-Nakh.

ала • (ala)

1. to say

From Proto-Turkic *āla. Cognate with Kyrgyz ала (ala), etc.

• IPA^(key): /ɑˈɫɑ/

• Audio:

  (file)

ала • (ala)

1. variegated

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

• IPA^(key): [ˈaɫa]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: а‧ла

а́ла • (ála) f (plural а́ли)

1. (archaic) dragon (mythical creature)

   Synonyms: а́ждер (ážder), змеј (zmej), дра́кон (drákon)

2. (figurative) monster

• Knüppel, Michael (2009), “Zu serbo-kroatisch hȁla ∼ ȁla ‘Drache’”, in Wiener Slavistisches Jahrbuch‎^[2] (in German), volume 55, pages 179–183
• “ала” in Дигитален речник на македонскиот јазик (Digitalen rečnik na makedonskiot jazik) [Digital dictionary of the Macedonian language] − drmj.eu

From Proto-Mordvinic *alə, from Proto-Uralic *ëla. Perhaps by error “ala”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012 lists Moksha ал (al, “egg”) as a cognate of Estonian ala. Compare, however, Estonian alus (“foundation”), Livonian alā (“down; under”), alli (“foundation; underside”), among others. Veršinin, however, lists “the lower part of something” as an alternative sense for the word ал (al) in both Mordvinic languages. He speculates that the “egg” sense is secondary to the “underside” sense (as eggs are found under birds), a possible taboo replacement, as collecting eggs in the spring was very important in historic times.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ɑlɑ/

ала • (ala)

1. under
   • O. Je. Poljakov (1995) Učimsja govoritʹ po-mokšanski [Let's learn to speak Moksha], Saransk: Mordovskoje knižnoje izdatelʹstvo, →ISBN, page 135

     кудть ала

     kudť ala

     under the house

This postposition is used with the genitive case.

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

• IPA^(key): [ˈala]
• Hyphenation: ала
• Rhymes: -la

ала (ala) (Sosva, Upper Lozva)

1. roof, top
2. lid

Sosva:

Upper Lozva

• “ала”, in Northern Mansi-Hungarian dictionary, Tromsø: University of Tromsø, 2023
• Afanasʹjeva, K. V.; Sobjanina, S. A. (2012), “ала”, in Školʹnyj mansijsko-russkij slovarʹ [Mansi-Russian school dictionary], Khanty-Mansiysk: RIO IRO

• ала́: IPA^(key): [ɐˈɫa]
• а́ла: IPA^(key): [ˈaɫə]

ала́ or а́ла • (alá or ála)

1. short feminine singular of а́лый (ályj)

• IPA^(key): /ǎla/

а̀ла (Latin spelling àla)

1. (used for emphasis, or as an intensifier) expression of awe, surprise, dismay, etc.

   Ала је било лепо! ― It sure was nice!

   Aла лажеш! ― Oh, you're lying!

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

• хала

• IPA^(key): /ǎːla/, /ǎla/, /âla/

а́ла or а̀ла or а̏ла (Latin spelling ála or àla or ȁla)

1. piebald, spotted

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

• хала

• IPA^(key): /ǎːla/, /ǎla/, /âla/

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

1. dragon, type of mythical creature similar to dragon

From Proto-Turkic *āla. Cognate to Kyrgyz ала (ala), etc.

ала • (ala)

1. variegated

• Čumakajev, A. E., editor (2018), “ала”, in Altajsko-russkij slovarʹ [Altaic–Russian Dictionary], Gorno-Altaysk: NII altaistiki im. S.S. Surazakova, →ISBN

ала

1. Cyrillic spelling of ala

From Proto-Turkic *āla (“variegated”). Akin to Turkish ala.

ала • (ala)

1. piebald

   Synonym: эриэн (erien, “variegated”)

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

Cognate with the Dolgan term above.

ала • (ala)

1. (dialectal) strap (for a reindeer sled)