cala

Inherited from Proto-Austronesian *daRaq.

cala

1. blood

• Paul Jen-kuei Li (李壬癸) (1996), 宜蘭縣南島民族與語言 [The Formosan Tribes and Languages in Yilan] (in Chinese), Yilan: Yilan County Government, →ISBN, page 170

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

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Unknown. From a pre-Celtic and pre-Iberian word. Compare Sicilian cala.

cala f (plural cales)

1. cove

• calanca

Deverbal from calar.

cala f (plural cales)

1. casting (of nets)

   Synonym: calada

2. lowering (of sails)
3. probe, sound

   Synonym: sonda

4. (archaeology, construction) trench
5. (medicine) suppository

   Synonym: supositori

• “cala”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

cala

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

From Proto-Central Pacific *cala, from Proto-Oceanic *salaq, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *salaq, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *salaq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *salaq.

• IPA^(key): /ðala/

cala

1. mistake, error

   Na noqu cala na sega ni kauta na ivola.

   My mistake was not bringing the book.

2. guilt, fault

   Synonyms: beitaki, vakacalaka

   Na cala e sa nona ga.

   The guilt is his alone.

3. disgrace, outrage, scandal (state of being dishonoured or covered with shame)

   Synonyms: madua, vakamadualaki

   Na nona vosa e kauta mai na cala vei keda kece.

   His words brought disgrace upon us all.

4. (logic) fallacy

   Synonym: vakasama cala

   E tiko e dua na cala ena nomu vakasama.

   There is a fallacy in your reasoning.

5. (religion, theology, chiefly Christianity) sin, transgression

   Synonyms: ivalavala ca, valavala ca

   Na cala kece era sa bokoci ena loloma ni Kalou.

   All wrongdoings are forgiven through God's love.

cala (transitive form calata) (intransitive)

1. to be wrong, to err, to make a mistake

   Synonyms: caka cala, vakacala

   Au cala ena noqu vakasama me datou lako nikua baleta ni sega ni vinaka na draki.

   I was wrong in my thinking that we should go today because the weather is not good.

2. to miss (to fail to achieve, attend, or perceive):
   1. to fail to attend or catch (of transportation or appointments)

      Au a calata na basi ena mataka nikua, meu qai waraka tale e dua.

      I missed the bus this morning, so I had to wait for another one.

   2. to fail to hit (of a target or objective)

      E cala na gasau mai na takete.

      The arrow missed the target.

   3. to fail to hear or receive (of information or news)

      Au a calata na itukutuku baleta na soqo.

      I missed the announcement about the ceremony.

3. to deviate from, to stray from (a standard path or expected conduct)

   Sa cala na waqa mai na kena ilakolako.

   The boat deviated from its course.

• → Fiji Hindi: daala

• Gatty, Ronald (2009), “cala”, in Fijian–English Dictionary‎^[1], Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 39

• IPA^(key): /ka.la/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

cala

1. third-person singular past historic of caler

• laça

cala

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈkalˠə/^[1]

cala m (genitive singular caladh, nominative plural calaí)

1. alternative form of caladh

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “calaḋ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 155; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.la/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: cà‧la

Via a Vulgar Latin *calāre, possibly ultimately from a pre-Roman language. Related are French cale and Spanish cala.

cala f (plural cale)

1. inlet, cove

   Synonyms: baia, golfo, insenatura

2. (nautical) hold

• caletta

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

cala

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

• cala in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• cala in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication

• alca

From the plural form of Ancient Greek κᾶλον (kâlon, “wood, logs, timber”).

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

cāla f (genitive cālae); first declension

1. log to burn

First-declension noun.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈka.ɫaː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkaː.la]

calā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of calō

• “cala”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• "cala", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

cala

1. imperative active second-person singular of calati (“to move”)

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ca‧la
• Rhymes: -alɐ

cala

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

• caladh

From Old Irish calad (“shore, port, landing-place; land (as opposed to sea)”), from Late Latin calatum.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʰal̪ˠə/

cala m (genitive singular cala, plural calaidhean)

1. harbour

   Synonyms: acarsaid, port

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.la/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: cà‧la

Unknown, perhaps of pre-Roman origin. Cognate with Spanish and Catalan cala. Possibly cognate with calancu.

cala f (plural cali)

1. inlet, cove, creek

   Stamu jennu â cala [dî] muschi.

   We are going to Moss cove.

• → Italian: cala

From Sicilian calari, from Latin chalāre (“loosen, slacken”), from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō). Not related ti Sicilian scala.

cala

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈkala/ [ˈka.la]
• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ca‧la

Deverbal from calar, from Latin chalō (“to loosen, to let down”), from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō).

cala f (plural calas)

1. prove (originally, of a piece or slice of fruit)

   Synonym: prueba

2. try, attempt

   Synonyms: prueba, intento

3. testing

   Synonym: prueba

4. suppository (small medicinal plug that is inserted into the rectum)

   Synonym: supositorio

Unknown, perhaps from pre-Roman origin. Or from Etymology 1, in the sense "let down an anchor", i.e. "anchorage".

cala f (plural calas)

2. cove

   Synonym: ensenada

Borrowed from New Latin Calla, former genus of the plant.

cala f (plural calas)

1. calla lily, arum lily (plant, flower)

   Synonym: alcatraz

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

cala

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

• “cala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

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

-cála

1. to begin

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Within North Halmahera, cognate to Tidore cala, Tabaru caana, Loloda calana, etc., all meaning '1000'. Direct external cognates include West Makian calan, Taba calan, Waigeo calan, Wandamen siaran, Biak syáran, also all meaning '1000'. The external cognates are generally believed to be due to Ternate-Tidore influence.

Beyond these, see also Chamorro chålan (“thousand”), Tagalog daan (“hundred”), Kapampangan dálan (“hundred”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa.la./

cala

1. thousand

cala

1. genitive singular of cal

• cal, caly

From Proto-Celtic *kalgā. Cognate with Cornish kal, kalgh; Breton kalc'h.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkala/

cala f (plural caliau)

1. (anatomy) penis

   Synonyms: pidyn, penis

• cala mwnci, cala'r cethlydd, cala'r mynach (“cuckoopint”)

• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “penis”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎^[2], Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “cala”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “cala”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies