хала

See also: халя

Bulgarian

Буреносни облаци, по народно вярвани като давление от хали

Mочер - възможен вдъхновител на митологичното същество хала

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈxaɫɐ]

• Audio (Standard Bulgarian, l-vocalization):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɫɐ
• Syllabification^(key): ха‧ла

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *xala, possibly contamination of various sources. Some aspects of the creature could be from Ancient Greek χάλαζα (khálaza, “hail”) (per Georgieva), while others from native roots related to ха́лост (hálost, “futility, lack of structure”), наха́лен (nahálen, “impertinent, intrusive”). In Western dialects, the word is homophonous with the dialectal word for serpent (cf. Serbo-Croatian а̏ла, Macedonian ала (ala)), of Turkish origin.

Mythological depictions combine elements from Slavic (see Coordinate terms) and Paleo-Balkan mythology (cf. Ancient Greek Τυφῶν (Tuphôn), Ἄνεμοι (Ánemoi); Thracian Chaos-dragon; Albanian Kulshedra).

Noun

ха́ла • (hála) f (masculine хал)

1. (Slavic mythology) tempest, typhon (mythological creature or phantasm that brings hails, blizzards, thunderstorms, and/or whirlwinds; believed to reside within stormclouds or in thick fogs)

   → (figurative) great calamity, fury, natural force (as phenomenon)

   Synonyms: бу́ря (búrja), спри́я (spríja), фури́я (furíja)

   → ichthyoid or serpentine monster (as a physical being)

   → hex, witch who controls the weather (as a personification)

2. (figurative) female equivalent of хал (hal): ferocious, feral person or animal

   ха́ла-кон ― hála-kon ― ferocious horse/stallion

3. (colloquial, derogatory, figurative) female equivalent of хал (hal): gourmand, glutton, unsatiable person

   Synonyms: ла́комник (lákomnik), ненаси́тник (nenasítnik)

Declension

Declension of ха́ла

	singular	plural
indefinite	ха́ла hála	ха́ли háli
definite	ха́лата hálata	ха́лите hálite
vocative form	ха́ло hálo	ха́ли háli

Coordinate terms

• ви́ла (víla), ди́ва (díva), ю́да (júda) (fairy creatures believed to have mastery over natural phenomena)
• змей (zmej, “dragon”), ламя́ (lamjá, “lamia”), стри́га (stríga, “strix”), гороло́м (gorolóm, “tempest”) (similar mythological monsters)
• я́ро (járo), я́рило (járilo, “natural calamity”) (mythological being)

Derived terms

• ха́лище (hálište), хале́тина (halétina) (augmentative)

See also

• мо́чер (móčer, “olm”) (an amphibian native to the Western Balkans, colloquially imagined to have supernatural abilities similar to хала)

References

• “хала”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “хала”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010
• Nayden Gerov; Тодор Панчев (1904), “хала”, in Рѣчникъ на Блъгарскꙑй язꙑкъ. Съ тлъкувание рѣчи-тꙑ на Блъгарскꙑ и на Русскꙑ. [Dictionary of the Bulgarian language] (in Bulgarian), volume 5, Plovdiv: Дружествена печꙗтница "Съгласие.", page 482
• Ан. Стойнев, Р. Попов, et al. (2006), “Хала”, in Българска митология. Енциклопедичен речник, Изд. "Захарий Стоянов"

Etymology 2

Theoretical singular of nowadays plurale tantum ха́ли pl (háli), borrowed from German Halle. The concept stems from East German Kaufhallen, which were incorporated/copied throughout the former Eastern Bloc during 20th century. Etymologically, doublet of хол (hol) (borrowed from English instead).

Noun

ха́ла • (hála) f

1. (obsolete) large covered marketplace

Declension

Declension of ха́ла

	singular	plural
indefinite	ха́ла hála	ха́ли háli
definite	ха́лата hálata	ха́лите hálite

Alternative forms

• ха́ле (hále)

Coordinate terms

• тъ́ржище (tǎ́ržište, “marketplace”)
• паза́р (pazár, “bazaar”)
• суперма́ркет (supermárket, “supermarket”)

References

• “хали”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “хали”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010

Chechen

Adjective

хала • (xala)

1. difficult

Ingush

Adjective

хала • (xala)

1. difficult

Russian

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew חלה (khalá), probably by way of Yiddish חלה (khale).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈxaɫə]

Noun

ха́ла • (xála) f inan (genitive ха́лы, nominative plural ха́лы, genitive plural хал)

1. challah, twist

Declension

Declension of ха́ла (inan fem-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ха́ла xála	ха́лы xály
genitive	ха́лы xály	ха́л xál
dative	ха́ле xále	ха́лам xálam
accusative	ха́лу xálu	ха́лы xály
instrumental	ха́лой, ха́лою xáloj, xáloju	ха́лами xálami
prepositional	ха́ле xále	ха́лах xálax

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Halle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xâla/

Noun

ха̏ла f (Latin spelling hȁla, genitive plural ха̑ла̄)

1. hall

Further reading

• “хала”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish خلا (halâ), from Arabic خَلَاء (ḵalāʔ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xǎːla/

Noun

ха́ла f (Latin spelling hála) (regional, rare)

1. WC, water closet

   Synonyms: тоалет, клозет, нужник

2. toilet
3. privy, latrine, outhouse
4. (figuratively) impurity, stench

Further reading

• “хала”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish خاله (hâla, hâle), from Arabic خَالَة (ḵāla).

Noun

хала f (Latin spelling hala)

1. (regional, rare, Islam) aunt (maternal or paternal)

   Synonym: тетка

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xǎːla/, /xǎla/, /xâla/

Adjective

ха́ла or ха̀ла or ха̏ла (Latin spelling hála or hàla or hȁla)

1. alternative form of ала (“spotted”)

Noun

ха́ла or ха̀ла or ха̏ла f (Latin spelling hála or hàla or hȁla)

1. alternative form of ала (“dragon”)

Further reading

• “хала”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Ukrainian

Etymology

From Hebrew חלה (khalá), probably by way of Yiddish חלה (khale).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈxaɫɐ]

Noun

ха́ла • (xála) f inan (genitive ха́ли, nominative plural ха́ли, genitive plural хал)

1. challah, twist

Declension

Declension of ха́ла
(inan hard fem-form accent-a)

	singular	plural
nominative	ха́ла xála	ха́ли xály
genitive	ха́ли xály	хал xal
dative	ха́лі xáli	ха́лам xálam
accusative	ха́лу xálu	ха́ли xály
instrumental	ха́лою xáloju	ха́лами xálamy
locative	ха́лі xáli	ха́лах xálax
vocative	ха́ло xálo	ха́ли xály