mál

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mal"

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔɑːl/
• Rhymes: -ɔaːl

Etymology 1

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *maþlą.

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, plural mál)

1. language
2. speech
3. talk
4. matter
5. (law) cause

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málini
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málini
dative	máli	málinum	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• bergmál
• bundið mál
• endamál
• fiskivinnumál
• fíggjarmál
• loyndarmál
• mállæra
• málnevnd
• málsgrein
• málspark
• málteigur
• óbundið mál
• rættarmál
• skattamál
• skriftmál
• talumál
• tungumál
• vandamál

Etymology 2

From Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą, whence also English meal. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, plural mál)

1. measurement, size

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málini
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málini
dative	máli	málinum	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• ummál

Hungarian

Etymology

From Proto-Finno-Ugric *mälke (“breast”). Its origins may be the same as the word mell (“breast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmaːl]
• Hyphenation: mál
• Rhymes: -aːl

Noun

mál (plural málak) (archaic, dialectal)

1. hillside, slope (especially in toponyms) [1156]
2. craw (the belly fur of an animal or crop of a bird) [1275]
3. river bank [1613]

Declension

See other forms at E-Szókincs

Inflection (stem in -a-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	mál	málak
accusative	málat	málakat
dative	málnak	málaknak
instrumental	mállal	málakkal
causal-final	málért	málakért
translative	mállá	málakká
terminative	málig	málakig
essive-formal	málként	málakként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	málban	málakban
superessive	málon	málakon
adessive	málnál	málaknál
illative	málba	málakba
sublative	málra	málakra
allative	málhoz	málakhoz
elative	málból	málakból
delative	málról	málakról
ablative	máltól	málaktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	málé	málaké
non-attributive possessive – plural	máléi	málakéi

Possessive forms of mál

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	málam	málaim
2nd person sing.	málad	málaid
3rd person sing.	málja	málai
1st person plural	málunk	málaink
2nd person plural	málatok	málaitok
3rd person plural	máljuk	málaik

or

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	mál	málok
accusative	mált	málokat
dative	málnak	máloknak
instrumental	mállal	málokkal
causal-final	málért	málokért
translative	mállá	málokká
terminative	málig	málokig
essive-formal	málként	málokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	málban	málokban
superessive	málon	málokon
adessive	málnál	máloknál
illative	málba	málokba
sublative	málra	málokra
allative	málhoz	málokhoz
elative	málból	málokból
delative	málról	málokról
ablative	máltól	máloktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	málé	máloké
non-attributive possessive – plural	máléi	málokéi

Possessive forms of mál

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	málom	málaim
2nd person sing.	málod	málaid
3rd person sing.	málja	málai
1st person plural	málunk	málaink
2nd person plural	málotok	málaitok
3rd person plural	máljuk	málaik

Derived terms

• aranymálinkó (“golden oriole”)

Place names

• Rézmál
• Zöldmál

Further reading

• mál in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mauːl/

  Rhymes: -auːl

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *maþlą.

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, nominative plural mál)

1. language

   Synonyms: tunga, tungumál, (chiefly archaic) sprok

2. speech

   Synonyms: málfar, tungutak, mæli

3. matter, affair
4. (law) cause
5. (informal) a big deal

Declension

Declension of mál (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málin
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málin
dative	máli	málinu	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• barnamál
• ekkert mál

  ekkert mál fyrir Jón Pál

• gælumál
• áhugamál
• forritunarmál
• ritmál
• smalamál
• tungumál
• fara ekki á milli mála

Related terms

• mæla

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic *mēlą, whence also English meal. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”).

Noun

mál n (genitive singular máls, nominative plural mál)

1. measurements, size, dimensions

   Synonym: mæling

2. a system of measurement

   Synonym: mælikerfi

3. the appropriate time for something

   Er ekki mál að fara?

   Isn't it time to go?

4. a meal, mealtime

   Synonym: máltíð

Declension

Declension of mál (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málið	mál	málin
accusative	mál	málið	mál	málin
dative	máli	málinu	málum	málunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• taka mál, taka mál af
• mál til komið
• vera mál
• milli mála
• flatarmál

Related terms

• mæla

Old Irish

Etymology 1

From Primitive Irish *ᚋᚐᚌᚂᚔ (*magli), from Proto-Celtic *maglos.

Noun

mál m (genitive máil, nominative plural máil)

1. (poetic) prince, nobleman, chief

Declension

Masculine o-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	mál	málL	máilL
vocative	máil	málL	máluH
accusative	málN	málL	máluH
genitive	máilL	mál	málN
dative	málL	málaib	málaib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: mál
• Scottish Gaelic: mal

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 mál”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology 2

Noun

mál m (genitive máil, nominative plural máil)

1. tribute (payment made by a feudal vassal to his lord)

Declension

Masculine o-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	mál	málL	máilL
vocative	máil	málL	máluH
accusative	málN	málL	máluH
genitive	máilL	mál	málN
dative	málL	málaib	málaib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: mál
• Scottish Gaelic: màl

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 mál”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Mutation

Mutation of mál

radical	lenition	nasalization
mál also mmál in h-prothesis environments	mál pronounced with /β̃-/	mál also mmál

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *maþlą, whence also Old Saxon mahal, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌸𐌻 (maþl).

Noun

mál n

1. language
2. speech
3. matter, affair
4. (poetry) syntactic unit, sentence
5. (law) cause

Declension

Declension of mál (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
accusative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
dative	máli	málinu	mǫ́lum	mǫ́lunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Derived terms

• bragarmál (“contraction of unstressed words”, literally “poetic speech”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: mál
• Faroese: mál
• Norwegian Bokmål: mål
• Old Swedish: māl
  • Swedish: mål
• Old Danish: mal
  • Danish: mål
• → Old English: māl (“speech, contract, agreement”)
  • Middle English: mal, male
    • English: mail
    • Scots: mail

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *mēlą (“measure, time, occasion”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European root *meh₁- (“to measure”). Cognate with Old English mǣl, Old Frisian mēl, Old Saxon māl, Old High German māl, Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl, “time, hour”).

Noun

mál n (genitive máls, plural mál)

1. measurement, size
2. season; a quarter of a year
   • c. 1180, Rímbegla:

     í misseri eru mál tvau, í máli eru mánuðr þrír

     in a half-year there are two seasons, in a seasons there are three months

3. time

   mál es at eta

   it is time to eat

4. (Low German influence) meal, mealtime

Declension

Declension of mál (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
accusative	mál	málit	mǫ́l	mǫ́lin
dative	máli	málinu	mǫ́lum	mǫ́lunum
genitive	máls	málsins	mála	málanna

Descendants

• Icelandic: mál n
• Faroese: mál n
• Norwegian Nynorsk: mål n
• Swedish: mål n
• Danish: mål n
  • Norwegian Bokmål: mål n

Etymology 3

From the same Germanic source as Old Saxon māl and Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻 (mēl), probably Proto-Germanic *mēlijaną, used by Ulfilas to translate Ancient Greek γραφή (graphḗ) and γράμμα (grámma). Related to Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (mēljan) (translating Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō, “draw, write”)) and German malen (“to paint”).

Noun

mál n

1. a work of art inlaid in metal, especially on weapons