अकेला

See also: अंकल, अकाल, अकेली, अकेले, अकल, अकाले, and अक़्ल

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Old Hindi अकेला (akelā), from Prakrit 𑀏𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀮𑀬 (ĕkkalaya), from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀏𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀮𑁆𑀮 (*ekkalla) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-) (compare Sanskrit एकल (ekala)), probably from Sanskrit एक (éka, “one”). Cognate with Gujarati એકલું (ekalũ), Bengali একলা (ekola).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /ə.keː.lɑː/, [ɐ.keː.läː]
• Hyphenation: अ‧के‧ला

• Audio

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Adjective

अकेला • (akelā) (Urdu spelling اَکیلَا)

1. alone

   वह अकेला है। ― vah akelā hai. ― He is alone.

2. singular, unique

Declension

Declension of अकेला (ā-stem)

	masculine		feminine
	singular	plural	singular	plural
direct	अकेला akelā	अकेले akele	अकेली akelī	अकेली akelī
oblique	अकेले akele	अकेले akele	अकेली akelī	अकेली akelī
vocative	अकेले akele	अकेले akele	अकेली akelī	अकेली akelī

Derived terms

• अकेले (akele)
• अकेलापन (akelāpan)

Descendants

• → English: Akela

Further reading

• Bahri, Hardev (1989) “अकेला”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 5.
• Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “अकेला”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 9
• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “अकेला”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 72
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “अकेला”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 10
• Platts, John T. (1884) “अकेला”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co., page 69
• “अकेला”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “ēkkala”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 121

Old Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit 𑀏𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀮𑀬 (ĕkkalaya), from Ashokan Prakrit *𑀏𑀓𑁆𑀓𑀮𑁆𑀮 (*ekkalla) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-) (compare Sanskrit एकल (ekala)). Cognate with Old Punjabi ਇਕੇਲਾ (ikelā), Old Gujarati एकलउं (ekalaüṃ), Old Marathi 𑘊𑘎𑘩 (ekala), 𑘧𑘹𑘎𑘩 (yekala), 𑘧𑘹𑘏𑘩 (yekhala).

Adjective

अकेला (akelā)

1. alone, lonely
   • c. 1420, Kabīr, Kabīr Vāṇī 367.1:

     देहरी लग तेरी सगी रे महेरी, फलिसा लगी सगी माई
     मरहट लग सब लोक सगौ रे, हंस अकेलौ जाइ

     deharī laga terī sagī re maherī, phalisā lagī sagī māī
     marahaṭa laga saba loka sagau re, hãsa akelau jāi

     wife is related to you upto the door-step [of your house]; mother is related upto the outer door (or: “to the border of the village”)
     all [other] people are related upto the cremation ground; [then] the swan (soul) flies away alone

Descendants

• Braj: अकेलौ (akelau)
• Hindustani: akelā

  Hindi: अकेला

  Urdu: اَکیلَا (akelā)

Further reading

• Jaroslav Strnad (2013) Morphology and Syntax of Old Hindī : Edition and Analysis of One Hundred Kabīr Vānī Poems From Rājasthān (Brill's Indological Library; 45), Leiden, →OCLC, page 513
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “ēkkala”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 121