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)

• IPA^(key): [ˈaɫɐ]

• Audio:

  (file)

ала • (ala)

1. but (conjunction)

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

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)

Declension of ала
	singular	plural
nominative	ала (ala)	ала-влак (ala-vlak)
accusative	алам (alam)	ала-влакым (ala-vlakym)
genitive	алан (alan)	ала-влакын (ala-vlakyn)
dative	алалан (alalan)	ала-влаклан (ala-vlaklan)
comitative	алаге (alage)	ала-влакге (ala-vlakge)
comparative	алала (alala)	ала-влакла (ala-vlakla)
inessive	алаште (alašte)	ала-влакыште (ala-vlakyšte)
illative (short)	алаш (alaš)	ала-влакыш (ala-vlakyš)
illative (long)	алашке (alaške)	ала-влакышке (ala-vlakyške)
lative	алаш (alaš)	ала-влакеш (ala-vlakeš)

Possessed forms of ала
	singular	plural
1st person	алам (alam)	алана (alana)
2nd person	алат (alat)	алада (alada)
3rd person	алаже (alaže)	алашт (alašt)

• 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

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^[1] (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

     kuďť 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): [ala]

ала (ala) (Sosva, Upper Lozva)

1. roof, top
2. lid

Sosva:

Inflection of ала (ala)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ала (ala)	алаг (alag)	алат (alat)
locative	алат (alat)	алагт (alagt)	алатт (alatt)
lative	алан (alan)	алагн (alagn)	алатн (alatn)
ablative	аланыл (alanyl)	алагныл (alagnyl)	алатныл (alatnyl)
instrumental	алал (alal)	алагтыл (alagtyl)	алатыл (alatyl)
translative	алаг (alag)	――	――
caritive	алата̄л (alatāl)	――	――

Possessive forms of ала (ala)
possessor	single possession	double possession	multiple possession
1st person sing.	алам (alam)	алагум (alagum)	аланум (alanum)
2nd person sing.	алан (alan)	алагын (alagyn)	алан (alan)
3rd person sing.	алатэ (alatè)	алаге (alage)	аланэ (alanè)
1st person dual	аламе̄н (alamēn)	алагаме̄н (alagamēn)	аланаме̄н (alanamēn)
2nd person dual	алан (alan)	алагы̄н (alagȳn)	аланы̄н (alanȳn)
3rd person dual	алатэ̄н (alatè̄n)	алаге̄н (alagēn)	аланэ̄н (alanè̄n)
1st person plural	алав (alav)	алагув (alaguv)	аланув (alanuv)
2nd person plural	алан (alan)	алагы̄н (alagȳn)	аланы̄н (alanȳn)
3rd person plural	аланыл (alanyl)	алаганыл (alaganyl)	алананыл (alananyl)

Upper Lozva

Inflection of ала (ala)
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ала (ala)	алай (alaj)	алат (alat)
locative	алат (alat)	алайт (alajt)	алатт (alatt)
lative	алан (alan)	алайн (alajn)	алатн (alatn)
ablative	аланыл (alanyl)	алайныл (alajnyl)	алатныл (alatnyl)
instrumental	алал (alal)	алайтыл (alajtyl)	алатыл (alatyl)
translative	алай (alaj)	――	――
caritive	алата̄л (alatāl)	――	――

Possessive forms of ала (ala)
possessor	single possession	double possession	multiple possession
1st person sing.	алам (alam)	алайум (alajum)	аланум (alanum)
2nd person sing.	алан (alan)	алайын (alajyn)	алан (alan)
3rd person sing.	алатэ (alatè)	алайе (alaje)	аланэ (alanè)
1st person dual	аламе̄н (alamēn)	алайаме̄н (alajamēn)	аланаме̄н (alanamēn)
2nd person dual	алан (alan)	алайы̄н (alajȳn)	аланы̄н (alanȳn)
3rd person dual	алатэ̄н (alatè̄n)	алайе̄н (alajēn)	аланэ̄н (alanè̄n)
1st person plural	алав (alav)	алайув (alajuv)	аланув (alanuv)
2nd person plural	алан (alan)	алайы̄н (alajȳn)	аланы̄н (alanȳn)
3rd person plural	аланыл (alanyl)	алайаныл (alajanyl)	алананыл (alananyl)

• “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/

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

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)