val

English

Etymology

Shortening of Valium.

Noun

val (countable and uncountable, plural vals)

1. (informal) Valium.
   • 1997 May 29, Kate Sholl, “Re: MED: Pain relief in Neck?”, in alt.med.fibromyalgia‎ (Usenet):

     and i must be on that list of people that need to get knocked over with a hammer 'cause vicodin and val don't knock me out.

   • 1998 December 29, rob , “Re: Depression and MS(leg/feet burning pain)”, in alt.support.mult-sclerosis‎ (Usenet):

     I would think though that whatever the reason for a panic attack valium would be great. I know that if my house was on fire and I was on 15mg of val It would take a lot more energy than I had, to panic. ;^)

   • 2002 June 28, FllSpdAhd1 , “Re: Valium?”, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav‎ (Usenet):

     I'm a medic and phenobarb is the primary drug for true seizures, but the OP states the cat presents seizure like behavior at the sound of her voice. I don't know where any of you are from, but we don't treat seizures with val.

Anagrams

• AVL, LAV, Vla., lav

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch vallen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fal/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

val (present val, present participle vallende, past participle geval)

1. to fall

Aragonese

Alternative forms

• vache (Tensino Panticuto), vall (Benasquese)

Etymology

From Latin valles.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbal/
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: val

Noun

val f (plural vals)

1. valley

References

• “valle”, in Aragonario, diccionario castellano–aragonés (in Spanish)

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian)
• Rhymes: -al

Etymology 1

Noun

val m (plural vals)

1. voucher

Etymology 2

Verb

val

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

Interjection

val

1. okay

Further reading

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

Czech

Etymology

Derived from Middle High German wal, from Latin vallum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -al

Noun

val m inan

1. bulwark, rampart

Declension

Further reading

• val in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• val in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
• val in Internetová jazyková příručka

Danish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old Norse valr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvaːl/,
• Homophone: hval

Noun

val c (singular definite valen, not used in plural form)

1. (poetic) battlefield

References

• “val” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “Val,1” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle Low German wal or Dutch wal (“coast, shore”), from Latin vallum. Doublet of vold.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvalˀ/,
• Homophone: valg

Noun

val c (singular definite vallen, not used in plural form)

1. (obsolete) steep coastline
   • 1779, Johannes Ewald, Romance (from the play Fiskerne), now royal anthem of Denmark / https://kalliope.org/da/text/ewlad1999022205:

     Fra Vallen hørtes Vraal, som brød | Den tykke Skye.

     From the coast a cry was heard that broke the thick cloud.

References

• “Val,2” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Etymology 3

From Old Norse vǫllr, from Proto-Germanic *walþuz (“forest”), cognate with German Wald. Doublet of vold. Alternatively, the same word as the noun above.

Noun

val c (singular definite vallen, not used in plural form)

1. (obsolete) plain
   • 1812, N.F.S. Grundtvig, Til Danerkongen Frederik hin Sjette (in: Poetiske Skrifter, vol. 3, p. 2):

     Paa faste Val og paa den grønne Strand, | At ofre villig baade Liv og Blod.

     On the firm plain and the green beach to sacrifice both life and blood.

References

• “Val,3” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɑl/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: val
• Rhymes: -ɑl
• Homophone: Val

Etymology 1

From the verb vallen (“to fall”).

Noun

val m (plural vallen, diminutive valletje n)

1. A fall (act or event of falling).
2. A downfall, demise.

   Synonym: ondergang

3. (in compounds) A case, modality
4. (in compounds) The falling of the night, nightfall.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch valle, from Old Dutch falla, ultimately from the root of vallen (“to fall”), thus related to Etymology 1 above.

Noun

val f (plural vallen, diminutive valletje n)

1. A physical trap, snare.
2. Any trap, ploy.

Derived terms

• berenval
• geurval
• muizenval

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

val

1. inflection of vallen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. imperative

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Probably of the same origin as walvis (“whale”), being the largest land fish.

Noun

val m (plural vallen, diminutive valletje n)

1. (obsolete) A catfish.

   Synonym: meerval

2. Any of its relatives in the family Siluridae.

Derived terms

• meerval
• pantserval
• sidderval
• slangval
• vinval

Etymology 5

From Sanskrit वल्ल (valla) , a word used for various grains and pulses, or for a unit of weight equal to 3 रक्तिका (raktikā). The explanation of latter meaning is that the रक्तिका (raktikā) is named after the seeds of Abrus precatorius, of which there are often 3 in a pod.

Noun

val m (plural vals, diminutive valletje n)

1. (obsolete) An East Indian weight for silver and gold.(Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
   • 1682, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, De zes reizen van den Heer J. Bapt. Tavernier, die hij, gedurende de tyt van veertig jaren, in Turkyen, Persiën, en in d'Indiën, langs alle de wegen, die derwaarts strekken, gedaan heeft [The six voyages of Lord J. Bapt. Tavernier, which he made during the period of forty years, in Turkey, Persia, and in the Indies, along all the roads leading thither], Amsterdam: Weduwe Johannes van Someren, page 12:

     Wat de Spaansche Reaal aangaat / die drieënzeventig Vals weegt / men heeft 'er vier Mamoudiën en een halve voor / en een Mamoudi geld twintig Pechas; en in dezer voegen heeft men voor de Spaansche Reaal tnegentig [sic] Pechas: maar zij moeten / gelijk ik gezegt heb / goed zijn / en drieenzeventig Vals wegen.

     As for the Spanish real, which weighs seventy-three vals, one gets four and a half mahmudi for it, and a mahmudi is worth twenty paisa; and in this way one has ninety paisa for the Spanish real: but they should, as I was saying, be good, and weigh seventy-three vals.

References

Anagrams

• vla

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse val (“choice”), from the verb velja (“to choose”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛaːl

Noun

val n (genitive singular vals, plural val)

1. choice

   Eg hevði einki val. ― I had no choice.

2. (politics) election

   Í dag er val í Norðurkorea, og tað gongur fyri seg upp á ein heilt serligan hátt. ― Today there is an election in North Korea, and it is happening in a very special way.

3. quality

Declension

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French val, from Latin vallem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /val/

Noun

val m (plural vaux)

1. (literary) valley, vale

Derived terms

• par monts et par vaux
• Val d’Aoste
• Val de Loire
• vallée
• vallon

See also

• VAL

Further reading

• “val”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin vallis, vallem.

Noun

val f (plural valis)

1. valley

Synonyms

• valdade

Galician

Etymology

13th century. From Old Galician-Portuguese vale, from Latin vallis, vallem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbal/

Noun

val m (plural vales)

1. valley
   • c1350, Kevin M. Parker (ed.), Historia Troyana. Santiago: Instituto Padre Sarmiento, page 122:

     Et ao ferir, braadarõ et deron tan grãdes vozes que os vales rretenyam.

     As they clashed, they shouted and cried so aloud that the valleys resounded.

Derived terms

References

• “vale” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “vale” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
• “val” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “val” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “val” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse val (“choice”), from the verb velja (“to choose”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaːl/
• Rhymes: -aːl

Noun

val n

1. choice
2. selection

Declension

Derived terms

• náttúruval
• kynbundið val

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈval/
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: vàl

Noun

val f (apocopated)

1. Apocopic form of valle

Verb

val

1. Apocopic form of vale

Anagrams

• Vla.

Livonian

Alternative forms

• (Courland) va'l

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *valo, from Proto-Finno-Ugric *waĺɜ. Cognates include Finnish valo.

Noun

val

1. light

Middle High German

Etymology

From Old High German val.

Noun

val m

1. fall
2. (grammar) case
   • 14th century, Heinrich von Mügeln, Der meide krancz (Codex Palatinus germanicus (Cod. Pal. germ.) 14)

     Wÿ man dy namen brechen ſol
     Nach iren vellen hin czu cal
     [the following verses contain a declension of Petrus (genitive Petri, dative Petro, accusative Petrum, vocative Petre and ablative Petro)]

     How one shall inflect/decline (literally break) the nouns
     After their cases over to number

Descendants

• German: Fall

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse vaðill (“ford, shallow water”).

Noun

val m (definite singular valen, indefinite plural valer, definite plural valene)

1. inlet, shallow bay

Etymology 2

From Old Norse valr (“the fallen”).

Noun

val m (definite singular valen, indefinite plural valer, definite plural valene)

1. (poetic) battlefield

Etymology 3

From Old Norse val.

Noun

val n

1. form removed with the spelling reform of 1959; superseded by valg

References

• “val” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaːl/, /vaːɽ/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse val, from Proto-Germanic *walą.

Noun

val n (definite singular valet, indefinite plural val, definite plural vala)

1. choice

   Du har ikkje noko val.

   You don't have a choice.

2. election

   Synonym: røysting

   Kven skal du røysta på til valet?

   Who are you going to vote for in the election?

Derived terms

• utval
• valkamp

Etymology 2

From Old Norse valr, from Proto-Germanic *walaz.

Noun

val m (definite singular valen, uncountable)

1. the slain (in battle)

Derived terms

References

• “val” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Occitan Wikipedia has an article on:

val

Wikipedia ^oc

Alternative forms

• vath (Gascony)
• vau (Provençal)

Etymology

From Latin vallis.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Languedocien)

  (file)

Noun

val f (plural vals)

1. valley

Old French

Alternative forms

• vaul

Etymology

From Latin vallis, vallem.

Noun

val oblique singular, m (oblique plural vaus or vax or vals, nominative singular vaus or vax or vals, nominative plural val)

1. valley

Descendants

• → English: vale
• French: val

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *fall, from Proto-Germanic *fallaz.

Noun

val m

1. fall

Descendants

• Middle High German: val
  • German: Fall

Old Norse

Noun

val

1. accusative singular of valr

Piedmontese

Etymology

From Latin vallis, vallem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /val/

Noun

val f (plural vaj)

1. valley

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Homophones: vale (Portugal), vau (Brazil)
• Hyphenation: val

Noun

val m (plural vales)

1. Apocopic form of vale (“valley”)

Romanian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic валъ (valŭ), from Proto-Slavic *valъ. Compare Serbo-Croatian val; close to Albanian valë.

Noun

val n (plural valuri)

1. wave

   Synonym: undă

Declension

Derived terms

• învălura
• învălui
• vălări

Related terms

• năvăli
• prăvăli
• valmă

Etymology 2

From Latin vallum (“wall, rampart”), probably a later borrowing; cf. German Wall, Italian vallo, also English wall.

Noun

val n (plural valuri)

1. earth rampart which served in antiquity as a military stronghold

Declension

See also

• văl

Romansch

Etymology

From Latin vallis, vallem.

Noun

val f (plural vals)

1. valley

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *valъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋâːl/

Noun

vȃl m (Cyrillic spelling ва̑л)

1. (regional, Croatia) wave (a long body of water curling into an arched form)

   Synonym: tȁlās

Declension

Slovak

Etymology

Derived from Middle High German wal, from Latin vallum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

val m inan

1. bulwark, rampart

Declension

Further reading

• “val”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *valъ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋáːl/

Noun

vȃl m inan

1. wave, undulation

Inflection

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Derived terms

• valováti
• valovéti
• valovíti
• valôven

Further reading

• “val”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbal/
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: val

Etymology 1

Noun

val m (plural valles)

1. Apocopic form of valle: valley

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

val

1. Apocopic form of vale: is worth

   mi casa y mi hogar cien doblas val. (val rhymes with hogar, assonant rhyme)

   there's no place like home.

Usage notes

• In Old Spanish, after the consonants /d/, /n/, /l/, /ʎ/, /ɾ/ and /θ/, a final /e/ was regularly elided, as in pid, vien, val, quier, faz, versus the modern forms of pide, viene, vale, quiere, and hace, with -e restored by analogy (compare modern Portuguese, which still has apocope in words such as vem (“he/she comes”), quer (“he/she wants”), faz (“he/she does”)). In modern Spanish, a few apocopes following coronal consonants are still preserved: buen, gran, san, derived from bueno, grande, and santo.

Further reading

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

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɑːl/

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Old Swedish hval, from Old Norse hvalr, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”).

Noun

val c

1. a whale

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse val, related to the verb velja (“to choose”). Related to välja, vilja (English will).

Noun

val n

1. a choice

   Du har inget val

   You don't have a choice

2. an election

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 3

From Old Norse valr (“the slain, the fallen”), from Proto-Germanic *walaz (“corpse, body; carnage”).

Noun

val c

1. (obsolete) the fallen; casualties of a war or battle

Declension

References

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

Anagrams

• alv, lav

Venetian

Etymology

From Latin vallis, vallem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /val/
• Hyphenation: vàl

Noun

val f (plural val)

1. valley

Synonyms

• vałe