ала

See also: яла, Аля, Ала, and Appendix:Variations of "ala"

Abkhaz

Etymology 1

Noun

а-ла́ • (a-lá)

1. dog

Etymology 2

Noun

а́-ла • (á-la)

1. eye (organ of sight)

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Bulgarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aɫa/

Conjunction

ала • (ala)

1. but (conjunction)

Usage notes

This conjunction is often used in literature and children's stories, and may contribute to an ominous or moralizing tone.

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Macedonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈaɫa]

Noun

1. dragon

   Synonyms: аждер (ažder), змеј (zmej)

Inflection

Declension of ала

	singular	plural
indefinite	ала	али
definite unspecified	алата	алите
definite proximal	алава	аливе
definite distal	алана	алине
vocative	ало	али

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Moksha

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Uralic *ëla. Perhaps by error “ala”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012 lists Moksha ал (al, “egg”) as a cognate of Estonian ala. Compare, however, Estonian alus (“foundation”), Livonian alā (“down; under”), alli (“foundation; underside”), among others. Veršinin, however, lists “the lower part of something” as an alternative sense for the word ал (al) in both Mordvinic languages. He speculates that the “egg” sense is secondary to the “underside” sense (as eggs are found under birds), a possible taboo replacement, as collecting eggs in the spring was very important in historic times.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɑlɑ/

Postposition

ала • (ala)

1. under
   • O. Je. Poljakov (1995) Učimsja govoritʹ po-mokšanski [Let's learn to speak Moksha], Saransk: Mordovskoje knižnoje izdatelʹstvo, →ISBN, page 135

     кудть ала

     kudť ala

     under the house

Usage notes

This postposition is used with genitive.

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Russian

Pronunciation

• ала́: IPA^(key): [ɐˈɫa]
• а́ла: IPA^(key): [ˈaɫə]

Adjective

ала́ or а́ла • (alá or ála)

1. short feminine singular of а́лый (ályj)

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Serbo-Croatian

Adverb

а̀ла (Latin spelling àla)

1. (used for emphasis, or as an intensifier) expression of awe, surprise, dismay, etc.

   Ала је било лепо!

   It sure was nice!

   Aла лажеш!

   Oh, you're lying!

Noun

ала f (Latin spelling ala)

1. dragon

   Synonym: хала

2. type of mythical creature similar to dragon

Related terms

• аждаха
• змај