bala

Anyi

Verb

bala

1. to come

Asturian

Noun

bala f (plural bales)

1. bullet

Azerbaijani

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bāla (“child”), which is etymologically related to baldız (“sister-in-law”). Cognate with Crimean Tatar bala, Uzbek bola, Turkish bala (dialectal), etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bala (definite accusative balanı, plural balalar)

1. child

   Synonym: uşaq

2. young of an animal

Declension

Derived terms

• balaca (“little”)
• bala-bula

Descendants

• → Khalaj: bala
• → Talysh: balə

References

Balanta-Ganja

Noun

bala

1. balafon

Balinese

Romanization

bala

1. Romanization of ᬩᬮ

Bambara

Noun

bala

1. xylophone
2. porcupine

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French balle.

Noun

bala f (plural bales)

1. bale

   dues bales de paper ― two bales of paper

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian palla.

Noun

bala f (plural bales)

1. bullet
   • 2019, “Sento”, in Energia fosca, performed by El Petit de Cal Eril:

     Coses inútils com les caixes o els bancs / Coses terribles com les bales o els tancs

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. marble

Derived terms

• antibales
• a prova de bales
• joc de bales

Further reading

• “bala” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “bala”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “bala” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “bala” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Chichewa

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɓá.ɽa/

Noun

bála class 5 (plural mabála class 6)

1. wound, injury
2. defect, physical problem

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbá.ɽa/

Noun

bála class 5 (plural mabála class 6)

1. bar (establishment where alcoholic beverages can be sold)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Bantu *-bíada.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɓa.ɽa/

Verb

-bala (infinitive kubála)

1. to bear, give forth

Derived terms

• Verbal derivations:
  • Passive: -badwa (“be born”)

Crimean Tatar

Noun

bala

1. child
2. foal

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎, Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Galician

Noun

bala f (plural balas)

1. bullet

Derived terms

• antibalas

Further reading

• “bala” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Garo

Etymology

Likely related to bala. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Verb

bala

1. to blow

Iban

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.la/
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bala

1. group of people

Indonesian

Etymology 1

From Malay bala, from Sanskrit बल (bala).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.la/
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bala

1. force, army

   Synonyms: laskar, pasukan, prajurit, sena, serdadu, tentara

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Malay bala, from Arabic بَلَاء (balāʔ, “misfortune”).

Noun

bala (first-person possessive balaku, second-person possessive balamu, third-person possessive balanya)

1. misfortune

   Synonyms: bahala, bahaya, bencana, cobaan, dakiat, keapesan, kecelakaan, kegagalan, kemaharan, kemalangan, kemudaratan, kerugian, kesialan, mala, malapetaka, mara

Etymology 3

From Javanese ꦧꦭ (bala) and Balinese ᬩᬮ (bala). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.la/
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bala (first-person possessive balaku, second-person possessive balamu, third-person possessive balanya)

1. 25th wuku of Pawukon calendar.

Etymology 4

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.la/
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bala (first-person possessive balaku, second-person possessive balamu, third-person possessive balanya)

1. birds that are deemed able to give signal through their movements or sound.

Further reading

• “bala” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Javanese

Romanization

bala

1. Romanization of ꦧꦭ

Karaim

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bāla.

Noun

bala

1. child

References

• N. A. Baskakov, S.M. Šapšala, editor (1973), “bala”, in Karaimsko-Russko-Polʹskij Slovarʹ [Karaim-Russian-Polish Dictionary], Moscow: Moskva, →ISBN

Karao

Noun

bala

1. (anatomy) lung

Kashubian

Alternative forms

• bal

Etymology

Borrowed from German Ball.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbala/
• Syllabification: ba‧la

Noun

bala f

1. ball

   Synonym: pùczk

Declension

Further reading

• Jan Trepczyk (1994) “piłka”, in Słownik polsko-kaszubski (in Kashubian), volumes 1-2
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “piłka”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎
• “bala”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Keley-I Kallahan

Noun

bala

1. (anatomy) lung

Khalaj

Etymology

Borrowed from Azerbaijani bala (“child”)

Pronunciation

• (Kharrab) IPA^(key):

Noun

bala (definite accusative balañ, plural balalar)

1. child

   Synonyms: bəççə, kâl, kôka

Declension

References

• Doerfer, Gerhard (1980) Wörterbuch des Chaladsch (Dialekt von Charrab) [Khalaj dictionary] (in German), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó
• Doerfer, Gerhard (1987) Lexik und Sprachgeographie des Chaladsch [Lexicon and Language Geography of Khalaj] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, →ISBN

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈbaː.laː/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈba.la/,

Verb

bālā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of bālō

References

• bala 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)
• "bala" in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers

Limos Kalinga

Noun

bala

1. hot coals

Lithuanian

Lithuanian Wikipedia has an article on:

bala

Wikipedia ^lt

Etymology

From bãlas (“white”) +‎ -a. Cognate with Latvian bala (“loamy valley without trees, swamp, depression”), Proto-Slavic *bělь.

Noun

balà f stress pattern 2/4

1. swamp, mire, morass

   Synonyms: pélkė, raĩstas

   • 1899, Mitteilungen der Litauischen Literarischen Gesellschaft, Volume 4‎, page 445:

     Oi šermukšni, šermukšni, Kur tu augai tarp baliu [sic]

     Oh, rowan tree, where have you been growing in the midst of the swamps?

     Popularized in a recording by the Lithuanian band Ugniavijas in 2013.

   • 1925, J. Elisonas, “Archeologinių ir šiaip įdomių, tiek Panevėžio apskrities, tiek kitų artimų apylinkių, vietų sarašas, kurį yra surinkę Panevėžio valstybinės gimnazijos mokiniai [A list of archeological and otherwise interesting places, both in Panevėžys County and other nearby areas, compiled by the students of Panevėžys State Gymnasium]”, in Švietimo darbas‎, number 4, pages 325–326:

     Dijokalnis. [...] Kalną supa miškas ir bala. [...] Dobulio kalnas. [...] Prie kalno yra gana didelė bala, turinti to paties kalno pavadinimą.

     is surrounded by forest and swamp. Near there is a rather large swamp, which has the same name as the hill.

2. puddle

   Synonyms: balùtė, klãnas, valkà

   • 1971, Iš lietuvių kultūros istorijos‎, volume 6, Mintis:

     Lyjant kaimo gatvėje neretai susidarydavo didžiulės balos.

     While it rained on the village street, huge puddles often formed.

   • 2000, Valentinas Zaikauskas, Pėdsakai baigiasi rojuje valentinas, Lietuvos rašytojų sąjunga:

     Blogai, kad lietus pradėjo merkti, - galvojo seklys, - tačiau sekant tokį beprotį lietus yra niekai. Ir vėjas, ir balos - tik smulkmena palyginus su ta nenusakoma beprotybe, kurios privalau neišleisti iš akių.

     It's bad that the rain started to drizzle, the sleuth thought, but following such madness the rain is nothing. Both the wind and the puddles are just a trifle compared to that indescribable madness that I must not lose sight of.

Declension

References

• Derksen, Rick (2015) “bala”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 77
• “bala”, in Lietuvių kalbos etimologinio žodyno duomenų bazė [Lithuanian etymological dictionary database], 2007–2012
• “bala”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2024

Malagasy

Etymology 1

From French balle.

Noun

bala

1. bullet
2. cartridge

Etymology 2

Noun

bala

1. (dialectal) poles used to carry a burden

Etymology 3

Verb

balà

1. imperative form of balana

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bala/
• Rhymes: -ala, -la
• (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key):

Etymology 1

From Sanskrit बल (bala).

Noun

bala (Jawi spelling بالا, plural bala-bala, informal 1st possessive balaku, 2nd possessive balamu, 3rd possessive balanya)

1. soldiery; army, force

Descendants

• Indonesian: bala

Etymology 2

From Arabic بَلَاء (balāʔ, “misfortune”).

Noun

bala (Jawi spelling بالا or بلاء, plural bala-bala, informal 1st possessive balaku, 2nd possessive balamu, 3rd possessive balanya)

1. misfortune, disaster, calamity

   Synonyms: bencana, malapetaka, kemalangan, kecelakaan

Descendants

• Indonesian: bala

Further reading

• “bala” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Masbatenyo

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish bala.

Noun

bala

1. bullet

Middle English

Noun

bala

1. Alternative form of bale (“bale”)

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈpala/

Verb

bala

1. inflection of ballat:
   1. present indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular imperative
   3. imperative connegative

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• (verb): bale (e-infinitive)

Verb

bala (present tense balar, past tense bala, past participle bala, passive infinitive balast, present participle balande, imperative bala/bal)

1. to make noise

   Synonyms: bråka, ståka

2. to struggle

   Synonyms: streva, træla

Noun

bala n

1. definite plural of bal

References

• “bala” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• alba

Occitan

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

bala f (plural balas)

1. bullet (a projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed)

Old Javanese

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit बल (bala, “power, strength”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.la/
• Rhymes: -la
• Homophone: bāla
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bala

1. strength, power
2. troops, army, soldiers of lesser rank

Derived terms

Descendants

• > Javanese: ꦧꦭ (bala) (inherited)
• → Balinese: ᬩᬮ (bala)

References

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

Pali

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit बल (bala).

Noun

bala n

1. strength
2. power
3. force
4. army, military force

Declension

Synonyms

• (army): balakāya

Derived terms

• balin (“strong”)

Descendants

• → Thai: พล (pon)
• → Khmer: ពល (pŭəl)
• → Burmese: ဗလ (ba.la.)
• Foreign coinings:
  • → Khmer: ថាមពល (thaamaʼpŭəl, “energy, power”)
  • → Burmese: ပညာဗလ (pa.nyaba.la., “a title”)
  • → Burmese: မဟာပညာဗလ (ma.hapa.nyaba.la., “a title”)
  • → Thai: จตุพล (jà-dtù-pol, “a proper noun”)

Papiamentu

Noun

bala

1. ball

Phuthi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bàda.

Verb

-bala

1. to count

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Portuguese

Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:

bala

Wikipedia ^pt

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -alɐ
• Homophone: vala (Northern Portugal)
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French balle, from Middle French balle from Northern Italian balla (“ball”), from Lombardic *palla, *balla (“ball”), from Proto-Germanic *ballô (“ball”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoln- (“bubble”), from *bʰel- (“to blow, swell, inflate”).

Noun

bala f (plural balas)

1. bullet, projectile (part of the ammunition for firearms)

   Synonym: projétil

2. (Brazil) candy, sweet

   Synonyms: doce, guloseima, rebuçado

3. (Brazil, slang) ecstasy (MDMA) pill

Usage notes

In Brazil, people in the military and other fields that make use of guns tend to proscribe the use of this word because of the candy sense, often relying on synonyms like projétil and munição.

References

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

bala

1. inflection of balar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative
2. inflection of balir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

bala f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of bală

Salar

Etymology

Cognate with Azerbaijani bala.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

bala (3rd person possessive balası, plural balalar)

1. child

References

• 林 (Lin), 莲云 (Lianyun) (1985) “bala”, in 撒拉语简志 [A Brief History of Salar]‎, Beijing: 民族出版社: 琴書店, →OCLC, page 16
• Tenishev, Edhem (1976) “bala”, in Stroj salárskovo jazyká [Grammar of Salar], Moscow, page 300
• 马伟 (Ma Wei), 朝克 (Chao Ke) (2014) “bala”, in 撒拉语366条会话读本 [Salar 366 Conversation Reader]‎, 1st edition, 社会科学文献出版社 (Social Science Literature Press), →ISBN, page 16

Sango

Verb

bala

1. to greet

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

From Italian ballo, from Old High German balo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bâla/
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bȁla f (Cyrillic spelling ба̏ла)

1. bale, bundle, pack (bundle of goods)
2. (regional) ball, sphere

Declension

Etymology 2

Unknown. Possibly a Dalmatian substratum word; compare Romanian bale (“slobber, saliva”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bâla/
• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bȁla f (Cyrillic spelling ба̏ла)

1. (usually in the plural) mucus, snivel
2. (usually in the plural, informal) snot
3. (usually in the plural) slobber

Declension

References

• “bala” in Hrvatski jezični portal
• “bala” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Sotho

Verb

bala

1. to read

Southern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bàda.

Verb

-bala

1. to count

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbala/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ba‧la

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French balle.

Noun

bala f (plural balas)

1. bullet

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

bala

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

Further reading

• “bala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Sumerian

Romanization

bala

1. Romanization of 𒁄 (bala)

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bàda.

Verb

-bala

1. to count

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish bala (“bullet”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ba‧la
• IPA^(key): /ˈbala/,

Noun

bala (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎ)

1. bullet; slug

   Synonym: punglo

2. pellet

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bajaq (“tell, inform; ask, inquire”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ba‧la
• IPA^(key): /ˈbalaʔ/,

Noun

balà (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎ)

1. threat

   Synonyms: panakot, banta, babala

2. warning

   Synonyms: babala, paalaala

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Possibly from Western Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bala, *bara (“whatever, whichever”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ba‧la
• IPA^(key): /ˈbala/,

Determiner

bala (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎ)

1. Obsolete form of balang.

Derived terms

• balana

See also

• bawa

Anagrams

• laba, laab

Tatar

Noun

bala

1. young animal,nestling
2. child

Ternate

Etymology 1

From N- +‎ pala (“to rise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈba.la/

Verb

bala

1. (intransitive) to float up, to emerge from water
2. (intransitive, by extension) to appear, to emerge

Conjugation

Etymology 2

From either Indonesian bala (“army”) or Javanese ꦧꦭ (bala, “army”), both from Sanskrit बल (bala).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈba.la/

Noun

bala

1. people

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.ˈlaː/

Noun

bala

1. Alternative form of bahala (“disaster”)

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bàda.

Verb

bala

1. to count

Turkish

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bāla (“child”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ba‧la

Noun

bala (definite accusative balayı, plural balalar)

1. (obsolete, otherwise dialectal) child, baby

Declension

Synonyms

• çocuk (child)
• bebek (baby)

See also

• çağa

Further reading

• “bala”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Ayverdi, İlhan (2010) “bala”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı

Uyghur

Noun

bala

1. Latin (ULY) transcription of بالا (bala)
2. Latin (UYY) transcription of بالا (bala)

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *balago-, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷel- (“to dribble; gush forth; spring; squirt; throw”). Cognate with English quell.

Noun

bala m (plural balaon)

1. effluent, sluice

Derived terms

• Y Bala

Mutation

Further reading

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

Wolof

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbala/

Adverb

bala

1. before

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bàda.

Verb

-bala

1. to count

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• -balisa

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bàda.

Verb

-bala

1. to count
2. to calculate

Inflection