la

See also: Appendix:Variations of "la"

Languages (78)

Translingual • English

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Translingual

Symbol

la

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Latin.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑː/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː

Etymology 1

From Glover's solmization, from Middle English la (“sixth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian la in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin labiī (“lip's”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

Alternative forms

• lah

Noun

la (plural las)

1. (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the sixth note of a major scale.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     And now Mrs Waters (for we must confess she was in the same bed), being, I suppose, awakened from her sleep, and seeing two men fighting in her bedchamber, began to scream in the most violent manner, crying out murder! robbery! and more frequently rape! which last, some, perhaps, may wonder she should mention, who do not consider that these words of exclamation are used by ladies in a fright, as fa, la, la, ra, da, &c., are in music, only as the vehicles of sound, and without any fixed ideas.

Coordinate terms

• (music): do, re, mi, fa, sol, ti

Translations

See la/translations § noun.

Etymology 2

Sound used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā (a common exclamation), Ancient Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”).

Interjection

la

1. Represents the sound of music or singing.

   "La la la la, I can't hear you!" Jimmy said, sticking his fingers in his ears.

   • 2019, Keira Brown, Between the Lines: Never in Plain Sight:

     The only part Lucy had to sing was the interlude, which was a bunch of la la la's, and the last verse of the song, which was only four lines, and the chorus, which was just as short.

Etymology 3

From Middle English la, from Old English lā. More at lo.

Alternative forms

• law

Interjection

la

1. (obsolete) Used to introduce a statement with emphatic or intensive effect.
2. (archaic) Expressing surprise, anger. etc.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     La, ma'am, what doth your la'ship think? the girl that your la'ship saw at church on Sunday, whom you thought so handsome; though you would not have thought her so handsome neither, if you had seen her nearer, but to be sure she hath been carried before the justice for being big with child.

   • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter 2, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume III, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:

     “Oh, la! here come the Richardsons. I had a vast deal more to say to you, but I must not stay away from them any longer.”

   • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     "La, William, don't be so highty-tighty with us. We're not men. We can't fight you," Miss Jane said.

Etymology 4

From French la, Italian la.

Adjective

la (not comparable)

1. Prefixed to the name of a woman, with ironic effect (as though an opera prima donna).
   • 2007 November 22, Kate Carter, The Guardian:

     Following lukewarm on the heels of an article a few weeks ago, where (I paraphrase due to having filed the relevant copy in the recycling bin) Victoria Beckham made a "well-meaning" remark that the other Spice Girls might want to lose a few pounds, we now have a new incidence of La Beckham's scintillating and entirely well-meaning humour.

   • 2010, Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22, Atlantic, published 2011, page 232:

     By judicious leaking, he also managed to make la Kirkpatrick and her associates look rather unsavory.

Etymology 5

Possibly a shortened form of lad.

Noun

la (plural las)

1. (Liverpool) lad, kid

Related terms

• lid (rhyming slang for kid)

Etymology 6

From Cantonese 啦 (laa¹). Doublet of lah.

Pronunciation

• (Hong Kong) IPA^(key): /lɑː˥/

Particle

la (Hong Kong, colloquial)

1. Placed at the end of a sentence in imperatives making it sound more like a request than an order.

   Sleep la! ― [You should] go to bed.

   Eat shit la you! ― You're going to hell! (calque of 食屎啦你！)

2. Used to tone down comments.

   ok la ― not bad; good enough

See also

• lor, wor

Etymology 7

Particle

la

1. (Singlish, Manglish) Alternative form of lah

Anagrams

• Al, & al., AL, al, al-, -al, Ål, a.l.

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lɑː]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

la (plural [please provide])

1. (music) la (solfège)

References

• 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Ama

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɭa/

Noun

la

1. fish

Anguthimri

Noun

la

1. (Mpakwithi) black snake

References

• Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 186

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin illa (“that one”).

Pronoun

la

1. her (direct object)

Aromanian

Etymology

From Latin illac. Compare Romanian la.

Preposition

la

1. at
2. by

Asturian

Alternative forms

• lla (archaic)

Etymology

From Latin illa(m).

Article

la f sg (masculine el, neuter lo, masculine plural los, feminine plural les)

1. (definite) the

Usage notes

• The article la contracts to l' before a word beginning with a or ha: l'asturiana (the Asturian), l'habitación (the habitation), because it ends with an A already

Pronoun

la

1. her (third-person singular feminine direct pronoun)

Bambara

Alternative forms

• na

Postposition

la

1. postposition marking location

Catalan

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Catalan la, from Latin illa (demonstrative) via apheresis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [lə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [la]

Article

la f (masculine el, masculine plural els, feminine plural les)

1. the; feminine singular definite article

Usage notes

• The article la is contracted to l' before a vowel or h, except before a following unstressed I or U sounds, as in la universitat, la idea, and la oliva. Note: Unstressed O sounds like a U.

Pronoun

la (enclitic and proclitic, contracted proclitic l')

1. her (direct object)

Usage notes

• -la is the full (plena) form of the pronoun. It is normally used after verbs.

  Mira-la. ― Look at her.

Declension

Catalan personal pronouns and clitics

	strong/subject	weak (direct object)		weak (indirect object)		possessive
singular		proclitic	enclitic	proclitic	enclitic
1st person	jo, mi3	em, m’	-me, ’m	em, m’	-me, ’m	meu
1st person majestic1	nós	ens	-nos, ’ns	ens	-nos, ’ns	nostre
2nd person	tu	et, t’	-te, ’t	et, t’	-te, ’t	teu
2nd person formal1	vós	us	-vos, -us	us	-vos, -us	vostre
2nd person very formal2	vostè	el, l’	-lo, ’l	li	-li	seu
3rd person masculine	ell	el, l’	-lo, ’l	li	-li	seu
3rd person feminine	ella	la, l’4	-la	li	-li	seu
3rd person neuter		ho	-ho	li	-li	seu
3rd person reflexive	si	es, s’	-se, ’s	es, s’	-se, ’s	seu
plural
1st person	nosaltres	ens	-nos, ’ns	ens	-nos, ’ns	nostre
2nd person	vosaltres	us	-vos, -us	us	-vos, -us	vostre
2nd person formal2	vostès	els	-los, ’ls	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person masculine	ells	els	-los, ’ls	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person feminine	elles	les	-les	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person reflexive	si	es, s’	-se, ’s	es, s’	-se, ’s	seu
adverbial
ablative/genitive		en, n’	-ne, ’n
locative		hi	-hi
1) Behaves grammatically as plural. 2) Behaves grammatically as third person.			3) Only as object of a preposition. 4) Not before unstressed (h)i-, (h)u-.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈla]

Noun

la m (plural las)

1. (music) la (sixth note of a diatonic scale)

Further reading

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

Chickasaw

Pronoun

la

1. I (first-person singular pronoun)

Corsican

Etymology

From Latin illa, feminine form of ille (“that”), from Old Latin olle. Cognates include Italian la and French la.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈla/
• Homophone: là

Article

la

1. Archaic form of a.

Pronoun

la

1. Archaic form of a.

References

• https://infcor.adecec.net/

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin illa(m).

Article

la

1. the; feminine singular definite article

Related terms

• el
• i
• le

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: la
• Rhymes: -aː

Etymology 1

From earlier lade through regular syncope of intervocalic -d- (compare weer, blij, broer), from Middle Dutch lāde, from Old Dutch *latha, from Proto-Germanic *hlaþō.

Noun

la f (plural laden or la's, diminutive laatje n)

1. drawer

Alternative forms

• lade

Derived terms

• bestekla
• bureaula
• schuifla

Descendants

• Afrikaans: laai
• → Caribbean Hindustani: láh
• → Caribbean Javanese: latye (from the diminutive form)
• → Papiamentu: lachi, laadsje (from lade)

Etymology 2

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

Noun

la f (plural la's, diminutive laatje n)

1. la (music)

Anagrams

• al

Emilian

Etymology

From Latin illa(m), feminine form of ille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/
• Hyphenation: la

Mirandolese Emilian definite articles
	singular	plural
masculine	al 'l	i gl'
feminine	la l'	li gl'

Article

la f sg (plural al or el or li)

1. the

Pronoun

la (personal)

1. (nominative case) she
2. (accusative case) her

Alternative forms

• Becomes l’ before a vowel.
• Becomes -la when acting as an enclitic.

Related terms

Emilian personal pronouns (strong forms)

Number	Person	Gender	Disjunctive (tonic)	Nominative (subject)	Accusative (direct complement)	Dative (indirect complement)	Reflexive (-self)	Comitative (with)
Singular	First	—	mè	a	me			mêg
	Second	—	tè	et	te			têg
	Third	Masculine	ló	al		ge	se	sêg
		Feminine	lê	la
Plural	First	Masculine	nuēter	a	se			nōsk
		Feminine	nuētri
	Second	Masculine	vuēter	a	ve			vōsk
		Feminine	vuētri
	Third	Masculine	lôr	i		ge	se	sêg
		Feminine		el	li

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowed from French la, Italian la, Spanish la, all ultimately from Medieval Latin ille.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [la]
• Hyphenation: la

Article

la

1. the

   la libro — the book

   la libroj — the books

   la angla lingvo — the English language

   la angla — (the) English (language) (clipped form)

Alternative forms

• l' (poetic)

Finnish

Noun

la

1. Abbreviation of lauantai (“Saturday”).

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

Inherited from Latin illam.

Determiner

la f (prevocalic l')

1. feminine singular of lo (“the”)

Pronoun

la f (prevocalic l') (ORB, broad)

1. her (third-person singular feminine accusative)

See also

Franco-Provençal personal pronouns

singular	nominative	accusative	dative	tonic1	possessive2
1st person	jo	mè			min
2nd person	te	tè			tin
3rd person masculine	il	lo / le	lui		sin
3rd person feminine	el	la	lyé
3rd person neuter	o		y	—
3rd person reflexive	—	sè
plural	nominative	accusative	dative	tonic1	possessive2
1st person	nos				noutro
2nd person	vos				voutro
3rd person masculine	ils	los / les	lor		lor
3rd person feminine	els	les	lor / lyés
3rd person reflexive	—	sè
1 Disjunctive or object of a preposition.		2 Generally preceded by a definite article.

References

• la [2] in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• la in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: là, las

Etymology 1

From Middle French la, from Old French la, from Latin illam, which is the accusative singular feminine of ille.

Article

la f sg

1. feminine of le: the

Usage notes

• la becomes l’ before a vowel or an unaspirated h.

  l’amitié ― the friendship

  l’île ― the island

  l’oasis ― the oasis

Derived terms

• à la

Descendants

• → Norwegian Bokmål: la

Pronoun

la f sg

1. her, it (direct object)

   Où est Judith ? Je ne la vois pas.

   Where is Judith? I don't see her.

   Prends cette boîte et mets-la dans le coin.

   Take that box and put it in the corner.

Related terms

French personal pronouns

Number	Person	Gender	Nominative (subject)	Accusative (direct complement)	Dative (indirect complement)	Locative (at)	Genitive (of)	Disjunctive (tonic)
Singular	First	—	je, j’	me, m’		—	—	moi
	Second	—	tu	te, t’		—	—	toi
	Third	Masculine	il	le, l’	lui	y	en	lui
		Feminine	elle	la, l’				elle
		Indeterminate	on1	—	—	—	—	—
		Reflexive	—	se, s’4		—	—	soi4
Plural	First	—	nous	nous		—	—	nous
	Second	—	vous2	vous2,3		—	—	vous2
	Third	Masculine	ils3	les	leur	y	en	eux3
		Feminine	elles					elles

¹ Also used as the first person plural.

² Also used as the polite singular form.

³ Also used when a group has both men and women.

⁴ Also used as third person plural reflexive.

Etymology 2

Noun

la m (plural la)

1. (music) la, the note 'A'

Derived terms

• donner le la

Descendants

• → Persian: لا (lâ)

See also

• là

Further reading

• “la”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Friulian

Friulian Definite Articles
	singular	plural
masculine	il l'	i
feminine	la l'	lis

Etymology

From Latin illa(m).

Article

la f sg (plural lis)

1. the

See also

• lis, il

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [la]

Etymology 1

Pronoun

la f (accusative)

1. Alternative form of a (“her”)

Usage notes

The l- forms of accusative third-person pronouns are used when the preceding word ends in -r or -s, and is suffixed to the preceding word

Related terms

• a
• lo
• na

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [la]

Etymology 2

Noun

la m (plural las)

1. (music) la (sixth note of the scale)
2. (music) A (the musical note or key)

See also

• (musical notes) nota musical; dó, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si ^{(Category: gl:Music)}

Etymology 3

From Old Galician-Portuguese lãa, from Latin lāna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [laː]

Alternative forms

• laa

Noun

la f (uncountable)

1. wool

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From Portuguese lá. Cognate with Kabuverdianu la.

Adverb

la

1. there

Haitian Creole

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

Etymology 1

From French l’art.

Noun

la

1. art

Etymology 2

Article

la

1. the (definite article)

Usage notes

This article is used only after a word that ends with an oral (non-nasal) vowel and an oral consonant, in that order, and when it modifies a singular noun.

See also

• a
• an
• lan
• nan
• yo
• yon

Etymology 3

From French là (“there”).

Adverb

la

1. there

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɒ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -lɒ

Interjection

la

1. (archaic) used in dialects at the end of an exclamatory sentence as an emphasis

   ott van la! ― there it is!

2. a syllable used when singing a tune without lyrics

Further reading

• (for emphasis): la in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (syllable used when singing): la in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (alternative form of lá, used in solfège): la in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (used in à la, cf. à): la in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Ido

Alternative forms

• (apocopic form) l'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Esperanto la, from French la, Italian la, Spanish la.

Article

la (plural le)

1. the

Derived terms

Prep. + article	Combined form
ad + la	al
de + la	del
di + la	dil
da + la	dal

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English la, French la, Italian la, Spanish la, Portuguese lá, German A, Russian ля (lja).

Noun

la (plural le la or lai)

1. (music) la

Interlingua

Pronoun

la

1. (accusative) her
2. (dative) to her

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin illa(m), feminine of ille.

Article

la f sg (masculine el)

1. feminine singular definite article the
   • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 29:

     Ti son la manduleîna inzucherada.

     You are the sugared almond.

Italian

Etymology 1

From Latin illa(m), feminine form of ille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: la

Article

Italian Definite Articles
	singular	plural
masculine	il lo/l'	i gli
feminine	la/l'	le

la f sg (plural le)

1. the

Usage notes

• The article la elides with words that begin with a vowel, becoming l'.

Pronoun

la f sg (plural le, masculine lo)

1. (accusative) her, it

   La vedo. ― I see her.

   • a. 1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini:

     […] una improvvisa timidezza però la immobilizza […]

     […] a sudden timidity immobilized her though […]

2. (accusative, formal) you (term of respect)

   La vedo. ― I see you.

   Scusi se la disturbo. ― Sorry to bother you.

Alternative forms

• -la (enclitic)

See also

Italian personal pronouns

Number	Person	Gender	Nominative	Reflexive	Accusative	Dative	Combined	Disjunctive	Locative	Partitive
Singular	first	—	io	mi, m', -mi			me	me	—
	second	—	tu	ti, t', -ti			te	te
	third	m	lui	si2, s', -si	lo, l', -lo	gli, -gli	glie, se2	lui, sé	ci, c', vi, v' (formal)	ne, n'
		f	lei, Lei1		la, La1, l', L'1, -la, -La1	le3, Le1, -le3, -Le1		lei, Lei1, sé
Plural	first	—	noi	ci, c', -ci			ce	noi	—
	second	—	voi, Voi4	vi, Vi4, v', V'4, -vi, -Vi4			ve	voi, Voi4
	third	m	loro, Loro1	si, s', -si	li, Li1, -li, -Li1	gli, -gli, loro (formal), Loro1	glie, se	loro, Loro1, sé	ci, c', vi, v' (formal)	ne, n'
		f			le, Le1, -le, -Le1
1	Third person pronominal forms used as formal terms of address to refer to second person subjects (with the first letter frequently capitalised as a sign of respect, and to distinguish them from third person subjects). Unlike the singular forms, the plural forms are mostly antiquated terms of formal address in the modern language, and second person plural pronouns are almost always used instead.
2	Also used as indefinite pronoun meaning “one”, and to form the passive.
3	Often replaced by gli, -gli in informal language.
4	Formal (capitalisation optional); in many regions, can refer to just one person (compare with French vous).

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈla/^°, /ˈla/^*
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: là

Noun

la m (invariable)

2. (music) la (musical note)
3. (music) A (musical note and scale)

Derived terms

• la maggiore
• la minore

Further reading

• La (nota) on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^it
• la in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Anagrams

• al

Japanese

Romanization

la

1. Rōmaji transcription of ら゚
2. Rōmaji transcription of ラ゚

Jingpho

Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese လ (la.).

Noun

la

1. month

References

• Kurabe, Keita (2016 December 31) “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎^[2], volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 91–128

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese lá.

Adverb

la

1. there

Kambera

Preposition

la

1. in

   Ni-nja la wawa-mu.

   They are below you.

   (literally, “They are in below you”)

References

• Marian Klamer (1998) A Grammar of Kambera, Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 127

Kilivila

Verb

-la-

1. to leave, to go

   kula - thou goest

   kulosi - ye go

   bala - I will go

Idioms

• kusisu, bala

See also

• -wa-

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin illa(m).

Article

la f (singular)

1. the

Usage notes

• The article la elides with words that begin with a vowel, becoming l'.

See also

• l
• l'
• i
• les

Ladino

Article

la (Hebrew spelling לה, plural las, masculine el)

1. the (feminine singular)

Leonese

Etymology

From Latin illa(m), feminine singular of ille.

Article

la f sg (masculine el, neuter lu, masculine plural los, feminine plural les)

1. the (definite article)

Usage notes

• The prepositions cun, en and pur contract with la, unless la is part of a proper noun.

  ‎cun + ‎la → ‎cula

  ‎en + ‎la → ‎na

  ‎pur + ‎la → ‎pula

• The article la becomes l' before a word beginning with a a or ha:

  l'aviespa ― the wasp

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/
• Rhymes: -a

Etymology 1

Pronunciation spelling of lah.

Particle

la

1. (nonstandard) Alternative form of lah.

Etymology 2

Clipping of la ni, itself a clipping of kala ini, making la a clipping of kala.

Adverb

la (Jawi spelling لا)

1. (dialectal, Kedah, Kelantan-Pattani, Terengganu) At the present time or moment; now.

   Synonyms: sekarang, la ni, ini

Further reading

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

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laː/
• Usually unstressed and then automatically shortened to /la/.

Etymology 1

From Arabic لَا (lā). Doublet of le (“no”).

Adverb

la

1. Used—optionally—with a negated second-person imperfect verb to express the negated imperative.

   La tisraqx!

   Don't steal!.

2. Used to express negative intention.

Conjunction

la

1. neither, nor

   La jiekol u la jixrob. ― He doesn't eat nor drink.

2. (obsolete) except

   Synonym: ħlief

Derived terms

• bla
• inkella
• lanqas

 

Etymology 2

Probably from Arabic لَمَّا (lammā).

Conjunction

la

1. when
2. since

Derived terms

• la Maltija
• ladarba

 

Mandarin

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Romanization

la (la⁵／la⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄌㄚ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 啦
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嚹
3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 鞡
4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 𤷟
5. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 𩋷

la

1. Nonstandard spelling of lā.
2. Nonstandard spelling of lá.
3. Nonstandard spelling of lǎ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of là.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Matal

Preposition

la

1. in

   Kak la marabay, Səmon kona aŋa Yuhana, kà uwana dza asik à uwana apə̀hakala dziriga uwaga aw, ama Baba gulo uwana la zagəla la afik la uwana apə̀hakala uwaga.(Mata 16:17)

   Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 16:17)

2. from

   Ama ləv aŋatà kà kərkər la gi (Mata 15:8)

   But their heart is far away from me. (Matthew 15:8)

Michif

Etymology

From French la.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [la]

Article

la f (masculine li, masculine and feminine plural lii)

1. the

Middle French

Etymology 1

From Old French la, from Latin illam.

Article

la f (masculine le, masculine and feminine plural les)

1. the

Descendants

• French: la
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: la

Etymology 2

From Old French la.

Alternative forms

• là (circa 1550)

Adverb

la

1. there

Descendants

• French: là

Mirandese

Etymology

From Latin illa(m).

Article

la f (plural las, masculine l, masculine plural ls)

1. the

   la lhéngua mirandesa

   the Mirandese language

Mwan

Noun

la

1. rain

Neapolitan

Pronoun

la

1. Alternative form of 'a

Norman

Norman Definite Articles
	singular	plural
masculine	le / l'	les
feminine	la / l'	les

Etymology

From Old French la, from Latin illa(m).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Jersey):

  (file)

Article

la f (plural les)

1. (Jersey) the (feminine singular definite article)

   la beque ― the spade

   la crôte ― the crust

   la léçon ― the lesson

   la tâsse ― the cup

Coordinate terms

• (gender) lé

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From the verb late.

Verb

la (imperative la, present tense lar, simple past lot, past participle latt)

1. to let

   La sovende hunder ligge. ― Let sleeping dogs lie.

2. to leave (in a given state)

   la dem (være) i fred ― leave them alone

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hlaða.

Verb

la (imperative la, present tense lar, simple past ladde, past participle ladd)

1. alternative form of lade

Etymology 3

Verb

la

1. simple past of legge

Etymology 4

From French la (“the”), from Middle French la (“the”), from Old French la (“the”), from Latin illam (“that, those”), which is the accusative singular feminine of ille (“that, those”), from Old Latin olle (“he, that”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ol-no- or *h₂l̥-no-, from *h₂el- (“beyond, other”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: la

Article

la

1. (Used in certain expressions of French origin) the

   à la, à la carte, à la grecque, à la mode, à la maison, à la suite

References

• “la” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse láta, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną. Akin to English let.

Alternative forms

• lata, late (long forms)

Verb

la (present tense lar or lèt, past tense lét, supine latt or late, past participle latt or laten, present participle latande, imperative la)

1. let, allow

   La meg få gjera det.

   Let me do it.

Derived terms

• la vera
• la bli
• la seg gjera

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hlaða, a strong verb from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną.

Alternative forms

• lada, lade (long forms)

Verb

la (present tense lar, past tense ladde, supine ladd or ladt, past participle ladd, present participle ladande, imperative la)

1. (transitive, intransitive) to load, charge

   Synonym: laste

Derived terms

• lading f
• ladekabel m

Related terms

• løe f
• lass n
• lade m

Etymology 3

From Latin labii, from the first word of the sixth line of Ut queant laxis, the medieval hymn on which solfège was based because its lines started on each note of the scale successively. Through Italian.

Noun

la m (definite singular la-en, indefinite plural la-ar, definite plural la-ane)

2. (music) la, a syllable used in solfège to represent the second note of a major scale.

Coordinate terms

• (scale of solfège): do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

la

1. past of leggja and legga

References

• “la” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• al

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan la, from Latin illa(m).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Article

la (masculine lo, feminine plural las, masculine plural los)

1. the; feminine singular definite article

Old English

Etymology

Unknown. Probably onomatopoeic. Compare Polish ła. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑː/

Interjection

lā

1. lo!, oh!, ah!

   Lā! næddrena cyn.

   Oh! generation of vipers.

2. Enclitic particle used to emphasise interrogation, exclamation, entreaty, affirmation, negation

   Ðā cwæþ ic hwæt is ðæt lā?

   then said I 'what then is that?'

Old French

Etymology

From Latin illa(m).

Article

la

1. the (feminine singular oblique definite article)
2. the (feminine singular nominative definite article)
   • c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:

     Trop avons fet grant reposee,
     Recomançomes la meslee!

     We have rested too much
     Let's restart the battle! (literally, the mix)

Inflection

Old French definite articles

Declension of the definite article le

	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
nominative	li	la, le 1	li	les
oblique	le 1	la 1	les	les
1 These singular forms elide to l' before a vowel or non-aspirate h.

Pronoun

la

1. it (feminine singular object pronoun)

Descendants

• Middle French: la
  • French: la
    • → Norwegian Bokmål: la

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• le

Etymology

From a form of Proto-Celtic *letos (“side”), from which leth, which could be related to *ɸletos (“side”). However, compare Latin latus. The sense “in the language of” is a semantic loan from Latin apud and is perhaps encountered only in glosses of the Latin construction.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

Preposition

la (with the accusative)

1. with
2. belonging to
3. among
4. in the language of
5. in the opinion of
6. by (indicating the agent of a passive verb)

For quotations using this term, see Citations:la.

Inflection

Inflection of la

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	lem(m), lim(m), leim, lium(m)	lemsa, li(u)msa
2d person sing.	lat(t)	latso, latsu
3d sing. masc./neut., dative
3d sing. masc./neut., accusative	leiss, les(s), lais(s), letha	le(i)som, lessom, le(i)ssem, laisem
3d sing. fem., dative
3d sing. fem., accusative	l(a)ee, lǽ	lési
1st person pl.	li(u)nn, le(i)nn	linn(a)i
2d person pl.	lib	libsi
3d person pl., dative
3d person pl., accusative	leu, léu, leo, lethu	leusom, leosom

Derived terms

Combinations with a definite article:

• lassin (masculine and feminine singular)
• lassa (neuter singular)
• lasna (plural)

Combinations with a possessive determiner:

• lam (“with my”)
• lat (“with your sg”)
• lia (“with his/her/its/their”)
• liar (“with our”)

Combinations with a relative pronoun:

• lassa (“with which”)

Descendants

• Irish: le
• Manx: lesh
• Scottish Gaelic: le

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “la”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2017) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, pages 272–73, 523

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin illa(m).

Article

la (masculine lo)

1. the; feminine singular definite article

Descendants

• Occitan: la

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /la/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /lɐ/

Pronoun

la

2. Alternative form of a (third-person feminine singular objective pronoun) used as an enclitic and mesoclitic following a verb form ending in a consonant (-z, -r and -s, but not -m); the consonant is elided and the preceding vowel takes an accent if necessary

Romagnol

Article

la

1. feminine of e’ (“the”)

Romanian

Alternative forms

• ла (la) (Transnistria (Moldova))

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/
• Rhymes: -a

Etymology 1

From Latin illac.

Preposition

la (+accusative)

1. at

   Suntem la Paris.

   We're at Paris.

2. to, towards

Etymology 2

From Latin lavāre, present active infinitive of lavō, from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- (“to wash”).

Alternative forms

• (Transylvania) lăia

Verb

a la (third-person singular present lă, past participle lăut) 1st conj.

1. (uncommon) to wash (especially the head)

   Synonyms: se spăla, scălda, îmbăia

Conjugation

    conjugation of la (first conjugation, no infix)

infinitive			a la
gerund			lând
past participle			lăut
number		singular			plural
person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	lau	lai	lă	lăm	lați	lau
	imperfect	lam	lai	la	lam	lați	lau
	simple perfect	lăui	lăuși	lău	lăurăm	lăurăți	lăură
	pluperfect	lăusem	lăuseși	lăuse	lăuserăm	lăuserăți	lăuseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
	present	să lau	să lai	să lea să laie să leie	să lăm	să lați	să lea să laie să leie
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
	affirmative		lă			lați
	negative		nu la			nu lați

Derived terms

• lăutoare, lăutură

Related terms

• lături
• lăun
• spăla

Samoan

Noun

la

1. sun

Santa Catarina Albarradas Zapotec

Noun

la

1. name

References

• Basic Vocabulary, page 63

Sassarese

Alternative forms

• -lla (pronoun, enclitic, used when previous syllable is stressed)
• -ra (pronoun, enclitic, used when previous syllable is unstressed)

Etymology

From Latin illa, feminine of ille (“that”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/, (after a word ending in a vowel) /ra/

Article

la f sg (plural li, masculine lu)

Sassarese definite articles
	singular	plural
masculine	lu/l'	li/l'
feminine	la/l'

1. the (feminine singular)

Usage notes

• Becomes l' before a vowel.

Pronoun

la f (plural li, masculine lu)

1. (followed by chi) that
2. her (accusative)
3. it (accusative)

References

• Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes

Sicilian

Etymology 1

From the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.

Alternative forms

• a

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

Article

la f sg (m lu, plural li)

1. (feminine singular definite article) the

   Synonym: a

Usage notes

• This article is nowadays an obsolete variant, unlike its illiquid counterpart a. It is currently used only in some restricted areas where it is still withheld in conversational communications.
• Today it is mostly used in crystallized contexts, such as singing, poetry or sayings and proverbs. In all these cases this definite article is more euphonetic than the variants, now predominant, which have undergone the lenition of the initial liquid consonant.
• Its use is however almost undisputed before nouns (or nominalized forms of other parts of speech, most often adjectives) that begin with vowels. In this case the form is an apocopic l'. Otherwise, illiquid definite articles are phonetically absorbed by the following noun. I.e: l'arancina (liquid) and ârancina (illiquid).

Inflection

Sicilian articles
	Masculine singular definite article	Feminine singular definite article	Masculine and feminine plural definite article
Definite articles (liquid)	lu	la	li
Definite articles (illiquid)	u	a	i
Definite articles	nu (also: un,'n)	na

Etymology 2

From the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.

Alternative forms

• -la (enclitic)
• a (illiquid form)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

Pronoun

la f sg (plural li, masculine lu)

1. (accusative) her

   Synonym: a

   La canusci? ― Do you know her?

2. (accusative) it, this or that thing

   Synonym: a

   Quannu ti la desi. ― When I gave it to you.

Usage notes

• This pronoun is now an obsolete variant. It is currently used only in some restricted areas where it is still withheld in conversational communications.
• Today it is mostly used in crystallized contexts, such as singing, poetry or sayings and proverbs. In all these cases this definite article is more euphonetic than the variants, now predominant, which have undergone the lenition of the initial liquid consonant.
• Its use is however almost undisputed before words that begin with vowels. In this case the form is an apocopic l'.

Southern Ndebele

Etymology

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

Pronoun

la

1. these; class 6 proximal demonstrative.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/ [la]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: la

Etymology 1

From Old Spanish ela, from Latin illa(m), feminine singular of ille.

Article

la f sg (plural las, masculine el, masculine plural los)

1. feminine singular definite article; the

Pronoun

la

1. accusative of ella, ello (when the antecedent's implied gender is feminine), and usted (when referring to a woman); her, it, you (formal)
2. impersonal neuter pronoun (accusative) in certain colloquial phrases: it, this

   La sabe toda.

   He/she knows everything (it all)

   ¿¡Dónde la viste!?

   Where did you see that!?

   No te la creo.

   I don't believe you. (from, "I don't believe you [when it comes to] this.")

Usage notes

• Sometimes used where English would prefer a possessive: tengo algo en la bolsa (literally “I have something in the bag”) as opposed to tengo algo en mi bolsa (“I have something in my bag”). This is especially true with body parts and with articles of clothing or similar accessories.
• Where a feminine noun begins with stressed (h)a-, though not common, el is used instead: el alma, el águila, el hacha. (The article remains la where an adjective intervenes between the article and the noun: la majestuosa águila.) The plural remains las.

Derived terms

• a la
• a la de
• lo
• saberla
• pasarla
• jugársela
• buscársela
• verla

Spanish personal pronouns

				nominative	dative	accusative	disjunctive
first person	singular			yo	me		mí1
	plural	masculine2		nosotros	nos		nosotros
		feminine		nosotras			nosotras
second person	singular	tuteo		tú	te		ti1
		voseo		vos			vos
		formal3		usted	le, se4	lo/la5	usted
	plural	familiar6	masculine2	vosotros	os		vosotros
			feminine	vosotras			vosotras
		formal/general3		ustedes	les, se4	los/las5	ustedes
third person	singular	masculine2		él	le, se4	lo	él
		feminine		ella		la	ella
		neuter		ello7		lo	ello
	plural	masculine2		ellos	les, se4	los	ellos
		feminine		ellas		las	ellas
	reflexive			—	se		sí1

1. Not used with con; conmigo, contigo, and consigo are used instead, respectively
2. Like other masculine Spanish words, masculine Spanish pronouns can be used when the gender of the subject is unknown or when the subject is plural and of mixed gender.
3. Treated as if it were third-person for purposes of conjugation and reflexivity
4. If le or les precedes lo, la, los, or las in a clause, it is replaced with se (e.g., Se lo dije instead of Le lo dije)
5. Depending on the implicit gender of the object being referred to
6. Used primarily in Spain
7. Used only in rare circumstances

Descendants

• → Translingual: La

Etymology 2

Noun

la m (plural las)

1. (music) la (sixth note of the scale)
2. (music) A (the musical note or key)

See also

• (musical notes) nota musical; do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si ^{(Category: es:Music)}

Further reading

• “la”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16

Anagrams

• al

Sumerian

Romanization

la

1. Romanization of 𒆷 (la)

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Verb

-la (infinitive kula)

1. to eat
2. (by extension) to consume, to eradicate

Conjugation

Conjugation of -la
Positive present -nakula Subjunctive -le Negative -li Imperative singular kula
Infinitives
Positive kula Negative kutokula
Imperatives
Singular kula Plural kuleni
Tensed forms
Habitual hula Positive past positive subject concord + -likula Negative past negative subject concord + -kula
Positive present (positive subject concord + -nakula) Singular Plural 1st person ninakula/nakula tunakula 2nd person unakula mnakula 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anakula wanakula other classes positive subject concord + -nakula
Negative present (negative subject concord + -li) Singular Plural 1st person sili hatuli 2nd person huli hamli 3rd person m-wa(I/II) hali hawali other classes negative subject concord + -li
Positive future positive subject concord + -takula Negative future negative subject concord + -takula
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -le) Singular Plural 1st person nile tule 2nd person ule mle 3rd person m-wa(I/II) ale wale other classes positive subject concord + -le
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -sile Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngekula Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singekula Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngalikula Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singalikula
Gnomic (positive subject concord + -ala) Singular Plural 1st person nala twala 2nd person wala mwala 3rd person m-wa(I/II) ala wala m-mi(III/IV) wala yala ji-ma(V/VI) lala yala ki-vi(VII/VIII) chala vyala n(IX/X) yala zala u(XI) wala see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) kwala pa(XVI) pala mu(XVIII) mwala
Perfect positive subject concord + -mekula "Already" positive subject concord + -meshakula "Not yet" negative subject concord + -jala "If/When" positive subject concord + -kila "If not" positive subject concord + -sipokula Consecutive kala / positive subject concord + -kala Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kale
Object concord (indicative positive) Singular Plural 1st person -nila -tula 2nd person -kula -wala/-kuleni/-waleni 3rd person m-wa(I/II) -mla -wala m-mi(III/IV) -ula -ila ji-ma(V/VI) -lila -yala ki-vi(VII/VIII) -kila -vila n(IX/X) -ila -zila u(XI) -ula see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kula pa(XVI) -pala mu(XVIII) -mula Reflexive -jila
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord + (object concord) + -la- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -laye -lao m-mi(III/IV) -lao -layo ji-ma(V/VI) -lalo -layo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -lacho -lavyo n(IX/X) -layo -lazo u(XI) -lao see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -lako pa(XVI) -lapo mu(XVIII) -lamo Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + (object concord) + -kula) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yekula -okula m-mi(III/IV) -okula -yokula ji-ma(V/VI) -lokula -yokula ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chokula -vyokula n(IX/X) -yokula -zokula u(XI) -okula see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kokula pa(XVI) -pokula mu(XVIII) -mokula
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

Derived terms

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -lia
  • Causative: -lisha (“to feed”)
  • Passive: -liwa
  • Stative: -lika (“be edible”)
  • Other formations: -la chumvi nyingi (“to live a long life (idiomatic)”)

• Nominal derivations:
  • chakula (“food”)
  • mla (“eater”)
  • ulaji (“eating”)

Etymology 2

From Arabic لَا (lā).

Interjection

la

1. no

See also

• siyo
• hapana

Etymology 3

See -a.

Particle

la

1. Ji class inflected form of -a.

Swedish

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• lade

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑː/
• Rhymes: -ɑː

Verb

la

1. past indicative of lägga

Etymology 2

Clipping of earlier fälle and fuller. Listed in a dictionary from the 1800s, and believed to have existed for longer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

Adverb

la (not comparable)

1. (dialectal, Gothenburg, Västergötland) Synonym of väl

Anagrams

• -al, al

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /la/ [lɐ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: la

Etymology 1

Interjection

la (Baybayin spelling ᜎ)

1. used in directing an animal to stop, especially carabaos and cattle

See also

• ho
• han

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish la, from Latin labii.

Noun

la (Baybayin spelling ᜎ)

1. la (the note 'A')

Etymology 3

Influenced by Baybayin character ᜎ (la).

Noun

la (Baybayin spelling ᜎ)

1. the name of the Latin-script letter L/l, in the Abakada alphabet

   Synonyms: (in the Filipino alphabet) el, (in the Abecedario) ele

See also

• lala

Further reading

• “la”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Tetum

Adverb

la

1. not

Tsafiki

Pronoun

la

1. I; the first-person singular masculine pronoun; the first-person singular pronoun used by adult men

Coordinate terms

• čiʰké (first-person singular feminine pronoun, first-person singular pronoun used by adult women)
• če (first-person singular pronoun used by children)
• čiʰke-lá (first-person plural pronoun)

References

• The Languages of the Andes (2004, Willem F. H. Adelaar, Pieter C. Muysken)

Turkish

Alternative forms

• lan

Interjection

la

1. (dialectal) ulan

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [laː˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [laː˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [laː˧˧]

Etymology 1

Verb

la • (羅, 囉)

1. to cry, to shout
2. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to reprimand, to scold

   bị vợ la ― to be scolded by wife

Derived terms

Derived terms

• kêu la
• la hét
• la làng
• la lối
• la mắng
• la ó
• la rầy

 

Etymology 2

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 騾 (“mule”, SV: loa).

Noun

(classifier con) la • (騾)

1. a horse-donkey hybrid; a mule or a hinny

See also

• lừa

Votic

Alternative forms

• laa

Etymology

From laskõa. Compare Estonian las.

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑ/, [ˈɫɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑ
• Hyphenation: la

Particle

la

1. let (with a verb)
2. Forms a first-person ot third-person imperative.

Usage notes

• Usually used with the standard personal forms of verbs.
• The third-person imperatives using la (e.g. la teeb) are more common than the forms using -ko(d) (tehko).

References

• Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “la”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

Walloon

Etymology

From Latin illac.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la/

Adverb

la

1. there

Synonyms

• låvå

Antonyms

• chal, droci

Wolof

Pronoun

la

1. you (second-person singular object pronoun)

See also

Wolof personal pronouns

	singular subject	plural subject	singular object	plural object
1st person	man	nun	ma	nu
2nd person	yow	yeen	la	leen
3rd person	moom	ñoom	ko	leen

Xhosa

Etymology

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

Pronoun

la

1. these; class 6 proximal demonstrative.

Xokleng

Etymology

From Proto-Southern Jê *ra (“sun”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈla]

Noun

la

1. sun

Yatzachi Zapotec

Noun

la

1. name

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Proposed to have derived from Proto-Yoruboid *lá. Possibly cognate with Proto-Bantu *-dáada

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lá/

Verb

lá

1. to dream

Derived terms

• lá àlá (“to dream a dream”)
• àlá (“dream”)

 

Etymology 2

Proposed to have derived from Proto-Yoruboid *lá

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lá/

Verb

lá

1. to lick, including with one's finger

   Synonym: pọ́n lá

2. to become worn out

Derived terms

• ilá (“okra”)
• ìka ìlábẹ̀ (“index finger”)

 

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /là/

Verb

là

1. to be wealthy; to become wealthy, to become rich

Derived terms

• kò-là-kò-ṣagbe (“middle class”)
• ọlọ́là (“rich person”)
• ọlà (“wealth, riches”)

 

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /là/

Verb

là

1. to dilute a liquid

   Synonym: fi omi lú

Derived terms

• ìlà (“dilution”)

 

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /là/

Verb

là

1. to shine like the moon/sun/light, to glow, to radiate

   òòrùn-ún là ― The sun shone

Etymology 6

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /là/

Verb

là

1. to survive

Derived terms

• gbà là (“to save”)
• ìgbàlà (“salvation”)

 

Etymology 7

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /là/

Verb

là

1. to cut, to divide, to separate, to slice

Derived terms

• Ẹ̀là (“A spirit and energy force in the Yoruba religion and divination”)
• làwàà (“to open suddenly”)
• ìlà (“line, partition, mark”)

 

Zulu

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlá/

Pronoun

la

1. these; class 6 proximal demonstrative.

Inflection

Stem -lá
Full form	lá
Locative	kula
Full form	lá
Locative	kula
Copulative	yila
Possessive forms
	Modifier	Substantive
Class 1	wala	owala
Class 2	bala	abala
Class 3	wala	owala
Class 4	yala	eyala
Class 5	lala	elala
Class 6	ala	awala
Class 7	sala	esala
Class 8	zala	ezala
Class 9	yala	eyala
Class 10	zala	ezala
Class 11	lwala	olwala
Class 14	bala	obala
Class 15	kwala	okwala
Class 17	kwala	okwala

References

• C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “la”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “la (2)”