matala

Asturian

Etymology

matar +‎ la

Verb

matala

1. Compound of matar + la

Finnish

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *matala.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑtɑlɑ/,
• Rhymes: -ɑtɑlɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧ta‧la

Adjective

matala (comparative matalampi, superlative matalin)

1. low (small in height)

   Antonym: korkea

   matala aita ― a low fence

   matala huone ― a low room

   matala pöytä ― a low table

2. low (situated close to, or even below, the ground)

   Synonym: alhainen

   Antonym: korkea

   matala mäki ― a low hill

3. shallow (not extending far down relative to breadth or width)

   Antonym: syvä

   matala järvi ― a shallow lake

4. low (not high in amount or quantity)

   Synonym: alhainen

   Antonym: korkea

   matala lämpötila ― a low temperature

5. (music) low-pitched, low

   Antonym: korkea

   1. (informal) Synonym of alavireinen (“flat”).

Usage notes

matala is used to mean "shallow" as long as there is no risk of confusion with the other meaning "low". This almost always applies in terms of vertical depth, such as when talking about a body of water, a trench, a dish or receptacle, a cut or wound, etc. In case of horizontal depth, such as of a shelf or cabinet, other terms are used; a shallow bookshelf could be described as syvyydeltään kapea or syvyyssuunnassa kapea; terms such as lyhyt (literally “short”) or litteä (literally “flat”) may also be used in some cases.

Declension

Now rare:

Derived terms

Further reading

• “matala”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Anagrams

• Maltaa, laamat, lamaat, lamata, maalta

Hausa

Etymology

From French matelas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mà.tà.lâː/

Noun

màtàlâ f (possessed form màtàlân)

1. (Niger) mattress

   Synonym: katifa

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *matala. Cognates include Finnish matala and Estonian madal.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑtɑlɑ/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑtɑːlɑ/,
• Rhymes: -ɑtɑl, -ɑtɑːlɑ
• Hyphenation: ma‧ta‧la

Noun

matala

1. wash (area of shallow water)

Adjective

matala (comparative matalamp)

1. shallow
   • 1937, N. S. Popova, translated by A. Kolesova, Arifmetikan oppikirja alkușkoulua vart (I. osa), Leningrad: Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 15:

     Lavvaal (kanneel) pantii 6 syvvää tarelkaa i 2 matalaa.

     On the table (table) there are 6 deep dishes and 2 shallow ones.

2. low, low-lying
   • 1936, V. I. Junus, N. A. Iljin, Inkeroisin keelen oppikirja alkuşkouluja vart (toine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 61:

     Ennen hailiverkot olivat matalat.

     Before, the herring nets were low-lying.

3. (music) low

Declension

Synonyms

• (low-lying): notko, alanikko

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “shallow”): syvä
• (antonym(s) of “low-lying”): korkia
• (antonym(s) of “music”): korkia

Derived terms

References

• V. I. Junus (1936) Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 42
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 299

Spanish

Verb

matala

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of matar combined with la