mala

Learned borrowing from Latin māla (“the cheekbone, jaw”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪ.lə/
• Rhymes: -eɪlə

mala (plural malae)

1. (zootomy)
   1. A single lobe of an insect's maxilla.
   2. The grinding surface of an insect's mandible.
   3. The third segment of a mandible of some myriapods.

• malar

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæl.ə/

mala

1. plural of malum

Transliteration of Sanskrit माला (mālā, “wreath, garland, crown”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː.lɑː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑl.ɑ/

mala (plural malas or mala)

1. (Hinduism, Sikhism) A bead or a set of beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a deity.

   Synonym: japamala

   • 2021, Ruth Ozeki, The Book of Form and Emptiness, Canongate Books (2022), page 413:

     His words were like beads on the string of a mala, escaping his lips in small puffs of air.

• Hindu prayer beads on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

From Western Desert Language, as Pitjantjatjara mala.

mala (plural malas)

1. A species of hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus, of arid Australia.

Borrowed from Mandarin 麻辣 (málà)

mala (uncountable)

1. A seasoning made from Sichuan pepper and chilis.

• “mala”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “mala”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

• mala fide (etymologically unrelated)

• amla, ALMA, alma, laam, lama, Amal, Alam, Alma, Lama, LAMA

mala

1. feminine singular of malu

From Persian ماله.

• Audio:

  (file)

mala (definite accusative malanı, plural malalar)

1. stucco, plaster

   Synonym: suvaq

2. plasterer's/ mason's trowel

   Synonyms: kəmçə, malakeş

3. harrow

   Synonym: dırmıq

• “mala” in Obastan.com.

From Middle Breton malaff, from Old Breton maletic, from Proto-Brythonic *malɨd, from Proto-Celtic *meleti.

mala

1. to grind

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

Borrowed from Old French male.

mala f (plural males)

1. mailbag

   Synonym: cartera del correu

• maleta

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

mala f sg

1. feminine singular of mal

• maa

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maja, compare Bikol Central mara, Yogad maga and Tetum maran.

• Hyphenation: ma‧la
• IPA^(key): /maˈla/

malá (Badlit spelling ᜋᜎ)

1. dry

   Synonym: uga

From Proto-Polynesian *mala, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *malaŋ.

mala

1. disaster
2. misfortune

mal- +‎ -a

• IPA^(key): /ˈmala/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

mala (accusative singular malan, plural malaj, accusative plural malajn)

1. opposite

From Old Norse mala, from Proto-Germanic *malaną.

mala (third person singular past indicative mól, third person plural past indicative mólu, supine malið)

1. to grind

From English mala, from Martu Wangka mala.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑlɑ/,
• Rhymes: -ɑlɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): ma‧la

mala

1. hare-wallaby (wallaby of the genus Lagorchestes)
2. rufous hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus

• (hare-wallaby): jäniskenguru (dated)
• (rufous hare-wallaby): lännenjäniskenguru (dated)

compounds

• harmaamala
• pikkumala
• ruskomala

mala

1. feminine singular of malo

mala

1. to crawl

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,

From Proto-Polynesian *mala, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *malaŋ.

mala

1. (intransitive) bruised
2. aching (as after unaccustomed exercise)
3. stiff and sore

• hoʻomala
• mamala

From Proto-Polynesian *mara.

mala

1. (stative) sour (as fermented sweet potatoes)
2. (stative) insipid

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

From Old Norse mala, from Proto-Germanic *malaną.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaːla/
• Rhymes: -aːla

mala (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative malaði, supine malað)

1. to grind

   Synonyms: mylja, steyta

   Hættu að mala kornið!

   Stop grinding the corn!

2. to purr

   Oo, hlustiði á köttinn mala.

   Oh, listen to the cat purr.

3. to blabber, babble, talk

   Synonyms: babla, masa, þvæla, blaðra

   Hann hættir bara ekki að mala.

   He just won't stop babbling!

• mölun
• mal

mala

1. bad

• bona

• maleso

From Malay mala, from Classical Malay mala, from Pali mala, from Sanskrit मल (mala).

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

mala

1. (obsolete) dirty, impurity
2. (dated) withered, faded

   Synonyms: layu, merana

mala

1. (dated) disease

   Synonym: penyakit

2. (dated, poetic or formal) disaster

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

• “mala” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

• malaidh, malaigh, malainn

From Old Irish mala, from Proto-Celtic *malaxs, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥Hdʰo-, shared with Breton malvenn, Old English molda (“forehead”), Ancient Greek βλωθρός (blōthrós, “lofty”), Avestan 𐬐𐬀-𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬋 (ka-mər^əδō, “demon's head”).

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈmˠɑl̪ˠə/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈmˠalˠə/, /ˈmˠal̪ˠə/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈmˠɔlˠi/, /ˈmˠɔl̪ˠi/^[1] (as if spelled molaidh)

mala f (genitive singular mala, nominative plural malaí)

1. eyebrow
2. brow (projecting upper edge of a steep place such as a hill)
3. slope, incline

• mala púiceach (“beetle brow”)

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “mala”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “mala”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “mala”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: mà‧la

mala f (plural male)

1. underworld, gangland

• alma, lama

mala

1. Romanization of ꦩꦭ

Deverbal from malowac.

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ma‧la

mala f

1. (Canada) paint

• Stanislow Frymark (2020) “mala”, in Kashubian Language in Canada, the USA and New Zealand; Lexical Interferences in Kashubian Language in Canada, the USA and New Zealand, Zómk Zôbòrsczi, →ISBN

From Proto-Italic *smakslā, from Proto-Indo-European *smeḱ- (“beard”) as *smḱ- (“beard”) +‎ *-sleh₂-; cognate with Sanskrit श्मश्रु (śmaśru, “beard”)).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):

māla f (genitive mālae); first declension

1. (anatomy) the cheekbone, jaw
2. (transferred sense, chiefly in the plural) a cheek
   • c. 190 BCE – 185 BCE, Plautus, Amphitryon 1.1:

     Tam consimile'st atque ego: sūra, pēs, statūra, tōnsus, oculī, nāsus, vel labra, mālae, mentum, barba, collum - tōtus!

     He's so similar to me: his calves, feet, height, haircut, eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, chin, beard, neck - all of it!

First-declension noun.

• mālāris (adjective)
• māxilla (diminutive)

• → English: mala
• → English: malar

• “mala”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “mala”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “mala”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive
• "mala", 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)
• mala in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) to be broken down by misfortune: in malis iacere
    
  • (ambiguous) to be hard pressed by misfortune: malis urgeri
    
  • (ambiguous) to have a good or bad reputation, be spoken well, ill of: bona, mala existimatio est de aliquo
    
  • (ambiguous) moral science; ethics: philosophia, in qua de bonis rebus et malis, deque hominum vita et moribus disputatur
    
  • (ambiguous) to take a thing in good (bad) part: in bonam (malam) partem accipere aliquid
    
  • (ambiguous) a guilty conscience: conscientia mala or peccatorum, culpae, sceleris, delicti
    
  • (ambiguous) to be tormented by remorse: conscientia mala angi, excruciari
    
  • (ambiguous) to bless (curse) a person: precari alicui bene (male) or omnia bona (mala), salutem
    
  • (ambiguous) from beginning to end: ab ovo usque ad mala (proverb.)
    
• “mala”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Borrowing from Frankish *malha (“leather bag”).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):

mala f (genitive malae); first declension

2. a bundle, bag

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!

First-declension noun.

• Old French: male, malle
  • Anglo-Norman: male
    • → Middle English: male
      • English: mail
      • Scots: mail
    • →? Irish: mála (or perhaps via English)
  • Middle French: malle
    • → Catalan: mala
    • French: malle
    • → Portuguese: mala
    • → Spanish: mala
  • Gallo: mol
  • Walloon: male (Forrières)

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• mala: (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• mala: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):
• malā: (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• malā: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):

mala

1. inflection of malus:
   1. nominative/vocative/ablative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):

mala n

1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of malum

From Proto-Indo-European *ml̥Hdʰo-, see also Breton malvenn, Old English molda (“forehead”), Ancient Greek βλωθρός (blōthrós, “lofty”), Avestan 𐬐𐬀-𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬋 (ka-mər^əδō, “demon's head”).

(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

mala f (4th declension)

1. edge, shore

• jūrmala
• mežmala

mala

1. third-person singular/plural present indicative of malt

• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “mala”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN, page mala

• IPA^(key):

mãla

1. third-person singular present of malti
2. third-person plural present of malti

mala

1. eye

• Alexandre François, The languages of Vanikoro: three lexicons and one grammar

From Sanskrit मल (mala).

mala (Jawi spelling مالا)

1. (obsolete) dirty, impure

   Synonyms: kotor, cemar

2. (dated) withered, faded

   Synonyms: layu, merana

mala (Jawi spelling مالا)

1. (literary) fault, flaw

   Synonyms: cela, cacat, noda

2. (dated, literary) disease

   Synonym: penyakit

3. (dated) disaster

   Synonyms: bahala, bahaya, bencana, cubaan, kecelakaan, kegagalan, kemalangan, kemudaratan, kerugian, kesialan, malapetaka, mara

• Edi Sedyawati, Ellya Iswati, Kusparyati Boedhijono, Dyah Widjajanti D. (1994) Kosakata Bahasa Sanskerta dalam Bahasa Melayu Masa Kini, Jakarta, Indonesia: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, →ISBN, page 110
• Pijnappel, Jan (1875) “مال mala”, in Maleisch-Hollandsch woordenboek, John Enschede en Zonen, Frederik Muller, page 127
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1901) “مال mala”, in A Malay-English dictionary, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh limited, page 636
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1932) “mala”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume II, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 94

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

mala

1. woman

• Carl Hoffmann, A grammar of the Margi language (1963)

• male

• IPA^(key): /²mɑːlɑ/

From Old Norse mala, from Proto-Germanic *malaną.

mala (present tense mel, past tense mol, supine male, past participle malen, present participle malande, imperative mal)

1. (transitive) to grind
2. (intransitive) to make a grinding sound, e.g. to purr (of a cat)

mala (present tense malar, past tense mala, past participle mala, passive infinitive malast, present participle malande, imperative mala/mal)

1. (pre-2012) alternative form of måla, to paint

• “mala” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from Sanskrit मल (mala).

• IPA^(key): /ma.la/
• Rhymes: -la
• Homophone: mālā
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

mala

1. dirt, filth
2. impurity
3. stain
4. defect
5. sin

• Javanese: ꦩꦭ (mala)

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

From Proto-Germanic *malaną, whence also Old Saxon malan, Old High German malan, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌽 (malan).

mala (singular past indicative mól, plural past indicative mólu, past participle malinn)

1. to grind
2. to make a grinding sound, e.g. to purr (of a cat)

• Icelandic: mala
• Faroese: mala
• Norwegian: male
• Old Swedish: mala
  • Swedish: mala
• Danish: male

• “mala”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “mala”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “mala”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive
• "mala", 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)
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) to be broken down by misfortune: in malis iacere
    
  • (ambiguous) to be hard pressed by misfortune: malis urgeri
    
  • (ambiguous) to have a good or bad reputation, be spoken well, ill of: bona, mala existimatio est de aliquo
    
  • (ambiguous) moral science; ethics: philosophia, in qua de bonis rebus et malis, deque hominum vita et moribus disputatur
    
  • (ambiguous) to take a thing in good (bad) part: in bonam (malam) partem accipere aliquid
    
  • (ambiguous) a guilty conscience: conscientia mala or peccatorum, culpae, sceleris, delicti
    
  • (ambiguous) to be tormented by remorse: conscientia mala angi, excruciari
    
  • (ambiguous) to bless (curse) a person: precari alicui bene (male) or omnia bona (mala), salutem
    
  • (ambiguous) from beginning to end: ab ovo usque ad mala (proverb.)
    
• “mala”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

From Old Norse mala, from Proto-Germanic *malaną.

mala

1. to grind

• Swedish: mala

mala n

1. impurity
2. stain
3. rust
4. dirt
5. dung

• IPA^(key):

mala

1. rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus)

• Paul A. Eckert (2007) Pitjantjatjara / Yankunytjatjara Picture Dictionary‎, IAD Press, →ISBN

Borrowed from French malle (“large suitcase; trunk”), from Middle French malle, from Old French male (“leather bag, leather or wooden travel-case”), from Frankish *malha (“leather bag”), from Proto-Germanic *malhō (“leather bag”), from Proto-Indo-European *molko- (“leather bag”).

• Rhymes: -alɐ
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

mala f (plural malas)

1. suitcase
2. (travel) luggage
3. (automotive) boot, trunk
4. (chiefly Portugal) handbag

   Synonyms: bolsa, maleta, saco

mala m or f by sense (plural malas)

1. (Brazil, idiomatic) an irritating person

• “mala”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “mala”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

From Proto-Polynesian *mala, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *malaŋ.

mala

1. (stative) be unlucky, unfortunate
2. to have bad luck

• Pukapuka Dictionary

Ottoman Turkish ماله (mala), from Persian ماله (mâle).

mala f (plural malale)

1. trowel

From Proto-Polynesian *mala, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *malaŋ.

mala

1. calamity

From Old Irish mala, from Proto-Celtic *malax, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥Hdʰo-, see also Breton malvenn, Old English molda (“forehead”), Ancient Greek βλωθρός (blōthrós, “lofty”), Avestan 𐬐𐬀-𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬜𐬋 (ka-mər^əδō, “demon's head”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmãl̪ˠə/, ^[1]

mala f (genitive singular mala, plural malaichean or malaidhean)

1. brow
   1. (anatomy) eyebrow
   2. (geography, of hill) brow; slope, incline

• The plural is mailghean in Argyll.

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “mala”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “mala”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “mala”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN

mala

1. inflection of mal:
   1. feminine nominative/vocative singular
   2. indefinite masculine/neuter genitive singular
   3. indefinite animate masculine accusative singular
   4. neuter nominative/accusative/vocative plural

From Latin malus.

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

mala f sg

1. feminine singular of malu; bad.

• IPA^(key):

mala

1. feminine singular l-participle of mať

• IPA^(key): /ˈmala/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ma‧la

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

mala f (plural malas)

1. female equivalent of malo

mala f

1. feminine singular of malo

Borrowed from French malle (“large suitcase; trunk”), from Middle French malle, from Old French male (“leather bag, leather or wooden travel-case”), from Frankish *malha (“leather bag”), from Proto-Germanic *malhō (“leather bag”), from Proto-Indo-European *molko- (“leather bag”).

mala f (plural malas)

1. suitcase

   Synonyms: maleta, valija

2. mailbag

   Synonyms: saca de correos, saca postal, valija

3. mail, post

   Synonym: correo

• “mala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

From Old Swedish mala, from Old Norse mala, from Proto-Germanic *malaną.

mala (present mal, preterite malde, supine malt, imperative mal)

1. to grind (crush into small particles)
2. (sometimes with på) to speak ceaselessly, usually about one single subject
3. to go on incessantly (more generally, of thoughts, pain, or the like)

An alternative form for the present tense is maler, and an alternative form for the past participle (which is only used in the sense of grinding) is malen.

• finmalen (“finely ground”)
• grovmalen (“coarsely ground”)
• varken hackat eller malet

• malström

• mala in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• mala in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• mala in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• Alma, lama

From Proto-Polynesian *mala. Cognates include Hawaiian mala and Samoan mala.

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

mala

1. misfortune, bad luck
2. disaster, tragedy
3. plague, epidemic

mala

1. (stative) to be unlucky
2. (intransitive) to bring bad luck

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎, Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 209

From Proto-Polynesian *mala, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *malaŋ.

mala

1. misfortune, bad luck
2. disaster

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish ماله (mala), itself from Persian ماله (mâle, “trowel”).

mala (definite accusative malayı, plural malalar)

1. trowel, a plasterer's tool used in spreading and dressing mortar