mala

English

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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.

Related terms

• malar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæl.ə/

Noun

mala

1. plural of malum

Etymology 3

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

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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.

Further reading

• Hindu prayer beads on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 4

From Western Desert Language, as Pitjantjatjara mala.

Noun

mala (plural malas)

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

References

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

See also

• mala fide (etymologically unrelated)

Anagrams

• Alam, Alma, Amal, alma, amla, laam, lama

Asturian

Adjective

mala

1. feminine singular of malu

Azerbaijani

Etymology

From Persian ماله.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

mala (definite accusative malanı, plural malalar)

1. stucco, plaster

   Synonym: suvaq

2. plasterer's/ mason's trowel

   Synonyms: kəmçə, malakeş

3. harrow

   Synonym: dırmıq

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “mala” in Obastan.com.

Breton

Etymology

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

Verb

mala

1. to grind

Catalan

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French male.

Noun

mala f (plural males)

1. mailbag

   Synonym: cartera del correu

Related terms

• maleta

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

mala f sg

1. feminine singular of mal

Cebuano

Alternative forms

• maa

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

malá (Badlit spelling ᜋᜎ)

1. dry

   Synonym: uga

East Futuna

Etymology

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

Noun

mala

1. disaster
2. misfortune

Esperanto

Etymology

mal- +‎ -a

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

Adjective

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

1. opposite

Faroese

Etymology

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

Verb

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

1. to grind

Conjugation

Finnish

Etymology

From English mala, from Martu Wangka mala.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

mala

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

Declension

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

compounds

• harmaamala
• pikkumala
• ruskomala

Galician

Adjective

mala

1. feminine singular of malo

Garo

Verb

mala

1. to crawl

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,

Etymology 1

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

Verb

mala

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

Derived terms

• hoʻomala
• mamala

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *mara.

Verb

mala

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

References

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

Icelandic

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaːla/
• Rhymes: -aːla

Verb

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

1. to grind

   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

   Hann hættir bara ekki að mala.

   He just won't stop babbling!

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (grind): mylja, steyta
• (babble): babla, masa, þvæla, blaðra

Derived terms

• mölun
• mal

Ido

Adjective

mala

1. bad

Antonyms

• bona

Derived terms

• maleso

Indonesian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

Adjective

mala

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

   Synonyms: layu, merana

Noun

mala

1. (dated) disease

   Synonym: penyakit

2. (dated) disaster

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

Further reading

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

Irish

Alternative forms

• malaidh, malaigh, malainn

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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

Declension

Derived terms

• mala púiceach (“beetle brow”)

Mutation

References

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “mala”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, 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

Italian

Pronunciation

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

Noun

mala f (plural male)

1. underworld, gangland

Anagrams

• alma, lama

Javanese

Romanization

mala

1. Romanization of ꦩꦭ

Latin

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmaː.la/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,

Noun

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!

Inflection

First-declension noun.

Derived terms

• mālāris (adjective)
• māxilla (diminutive)

Descendants

• → English: mala

References

• “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
• “mala”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• 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

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,

Noun

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!

Inflection

First-declension noun.

Descendants

• 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)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• mala: (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,
• mala: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,
• malā: (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.laː/,
• malā: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,

Adjective

mala

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

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.la/,

Noun

mala n

1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of malum

Latvian

Etymology

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”).

Noun

mala f (4th declension)

1. edge, shore

Declension

Derived terms

• jūrmala
• mežmala

Verb

mala

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

References

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

Lithuanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Verb

mãla

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

Lovono

Noun

mala

1. eye

References

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

Margi

Noun

mala

1. woman

References

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

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• male

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²mɑːlɑ/

Etymology 1

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

Verb

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)

Etymology 2

Verb

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

References

• “mala” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Javanese

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit मल (mala).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

mala

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

Derived terms

Descendants

• Javanese: ꦩꦭ (mala)

Further reading

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

Old Norse

Etymology

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

Verb

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)

Conjugation

Descendants

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

References

• “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
• “mala”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• 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

Old Swedish

Etymology

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

Verb

mala

1. to grind

Conjugation

Descendants

• Swedish: mala

Pali

Alternative forms

Noun

mala n

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

Declension

Pitjantjatjara

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

mala

1. rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus)

References

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

Portuguese

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -alɐ
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

Noun

mala f (plural malas)

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

   Synonyms: bolsa, maleta, saco

Noun

mala m or f by sense (plural malas)

1. (Brazil, idiomatic) an irritating person

References

Pukapukan

Etymology

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

Verb

mala

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

Further reading

• Pukapuka Dictionary

Romanian

Etymology

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

Noun

mala f (plural malale)

1. trowel

Declension

Samoan

Etymology

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

Noun

mala

1. calamity

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

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”).

Noun

mala f (genitive singular mala, plural malaichean)

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

Usage notes

• The plural is mailghean in Argyll.

Mutation

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “mala”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, 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

Serbo-Croatian

Adjective

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

Sicilian

Etymology

From Latin malus.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

mala f sg

1. feminine singular of malu; bad.

Inflection

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Participle

mala

1. feminine singular l-participle of mať

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

mala f (plural malas)

1. female equivalent of malo

Adjective

mala f

1. feminine singular of malo

Etymology 2

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”).

Noun

mala f (plural malas)

1. suitcase

   Synonyms: maleta, valija

2. mailbag

   Synonyms: saca de correos, saca postal, valija

3. mail, post

   Synonym: correo

Further reading

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

Swedish

Etymology

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

Verb

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)

Usage notes

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.

Conjugation

Derived terms

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

Related terms

• malström

References

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

Anagrams

• Alma, lama

Tokelauan

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: ma‧la

Noun

mala

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

Verb

mala

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

Further reading

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

Tongan

Etymology

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

Noun

mala

1. misfortune, bad luck
2. disaster

Turkish

Etymology

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

Noun

mala (definite accusative malayı, plural malalar)

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

Declension

Derived terms

• malalamak

Further reading

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “mala1”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 3034
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “mala”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Tuvaluan

Etymology

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

Noun

mala

1. plague

Wolof

Noun

mala (definite form mala mi)

1. animal