hala

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

hala (plural halas or hala)

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

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.

• ala

From Ottoman Turkish حالا (hala).^[1]
Or from Arabic على (ala, “however; nevertheless; but; still; yet.”)

halá

1. (colloquial) yet, still

   Synonyms: endé, akóma

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

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

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

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala, -a
• Hyphenation: ha‧la

hala (not comparable)

1. thus

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

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

hala

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

hala

1. an expression of surprise or warning

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦala]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala

hala f (relational adjective halový)

1. hall

• “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), 2008–2026

hala

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

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /a.la/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

hala

1. third-person singular past historic of haler

hala

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈha.la/, [ˈhɐ.lə]

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

hala

1. sin

   Ke kala mai i ka ʻino a me ka hala.

   Forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin.

2. error

hala(intransitive)

1. to sin
2. to err
3. to miss
4. (of time) to pass, elapse
5. to pass away, to die

• halahala (reduplicated form)
• hoʻohala (causative)
• wā hala (“past tense”)

• English: hala

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

hala

1. screw pine, pandanus (Pandanus tectorius)

• lauhala
• pū hala

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

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

• IPA^(key): [ˈhɒlɒ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ha‧la

hala

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

hala

1. indefinite genitive plural of halur

Inherited from Malay hala.

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

hala (plural hala-hala)

1. (archaic) direction

   Synonym: arah

• “hala”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

hala

1. romanization of ꦲꦭ

hala

1. incest

• 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

hālā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of hālō

• "hala", 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)

hala

1. bench

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

From English holler.

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.

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

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”).

hala

1. bad, evil

• ala

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

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

hala

1. plough

• > Javanese: hala (inherited)

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

For meaning 1:

• ala (alternative spelling)

From Portuguese ala and Spanish ala.

hala

1. wing

From Spanish halar and Spanish jalar and Dutch halen.

hala

1. to pull
2. to take

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ha‧la

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”).

hala f (related adjective halowy)

1. hall, concourse

   hala produkcyjna ― shopfloor

Borrowed from Slovak hoľa.

hala f (related adjective halny)

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

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

hala

1. (Przemyśl, Lasovia) synonym of dalej!

   Hala, ty chamie! Chodź na magistrat! (Przemyśl) ― Come on, you lout! Come to the city council!

• “hala”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[3] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “hala”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[4] (in Polish)
• Aleksander Saloni (1908), “hala”, in “Lud rzeszowski”, in Materyały Antropologiczno-Archeologiczne i Etnograficzne‎^[5] (in Polish), volume 10, Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności, page 334
• Oskar Kolberg (1865), “hala”, in Lud. Jego zwyczaje, sposób życia, mowa, podania, przysłowia, obrzędy, gusła, zabawy, pieśni, muzyka i tańce. Serya II. Sandomierskie (in Polish), page 262

From Sanskrit.

hala

1. black

Borrowed from German Halle.

• IPA^(key): /xâla/

hȁla f (Cyrillic spelling ха̏ла, genitive plural hȃlā)

1. hall

• “hala”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

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

• IPA^(key): /xǎːla/

hála f (Cyrillic spelling ха́ла) (regional, rare)

1. WC, water closet

   Synonyms: toalet, klozet, nužnik

2. toilet
3. privy, latrine, outhouse
4. (figuratively) impurity, stench

• “hala”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

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

hala f (Cyrillic spelling хала)

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

   Synonym: tetka

• IPA^(key): /xǎːla/, /xǎla/, /xâla/

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

1. alternative form of ala (“spotted”)

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

1. alternative form of ala (“dragon”)

• “hala”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

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

hala

1. liquid

• Adelaar, Alexander (2012), Siraya: Retrieving the Phonology, Grammar and Lexicon of a Dormant Formosan Language, de Gruyter, →DOI, →ISBN, page 315

• IPA^(key): /ɦala/, [ˈɦala]
• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: ha‧la

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

1. hall

• halový

• “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, 2003–2026

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

• ala, alá

¡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

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

hala

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

• “hala”, 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

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

hala

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

From Middle Low German halen, from Old Saxon halon.

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

• fira
• hissa
• vinscha

• “hala”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “hala”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “hala”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• hala in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
• hala in Svenskt nautiskt lexikon (1920)

Compare Spanish hala (“my goodness”).

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

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

halá (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎ)

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

   Synonym: lagot

2. oh no

   Synonym: naku

   Hala! Naiwan ko ba ang susi ko sa loob ng kotse?

   Oh, no! Did I leave my keys in the car?

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.

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

halá or hala (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎ)

1. go ahead; proceed

   Synonym: sige

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

halà (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜎ) (obsolete)

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

• “hala”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “hala”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 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

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

• IPA^(key): /hɑˈɫɑ/

hala (definite accusative halayı, plural halalar)

1. paternal aunt (father’s sister)

• bibi

• hâlâ
• teyze

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑːlɑː/

hala

1. alternative form of hâlâ (“still, yet”)

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

From Proto-Finnic *halla.

hala

1. frost

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

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “заморозок, иней”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[6], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

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

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

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

1. to drive

   Synonym: gyrru

2. to send

   Synonym: anfon

3. to spend

   Synonyms: (money) gwario, (time) treulio

• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “drive”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎^[7], Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “send”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎^[8], Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “spend”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎^[9], Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• 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