gala

From French gala, or directly from that word's etymon, which is either Italian gala,^[1] or Spanish gala,^[2] both meaning "festive occasion", and derived from Old French gale (“rejoicing”). (The French word likely kept the final -a to avoid homophony with gale (“scabies”).) Ultimately cognate to gallant and hence probably from Frankish *wala (“good, well”).^[1][2]

• Rhymes: -ɑːlə, -ælə, -eɪlə

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑːlə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡælə/, /ˈɡeɪlə/, /ˈɡɑːlə/
• (Northumbria) IPA^(key): /ˈɡeɪlə/

gala (not comparable)

2. Celebratory; festive.

gala (plural galas)

1. (uncountable) Pomp, show, or festivity.
2. A competition

   a swimming gala

3. (countable) A showy and festive party.
4. A red-skinned variety of eating apple.

• gala dress
• gala pie
• gala-series
• royal gala

From Sumerian 𒍑𒆪 (gala), cognate to Akkadian 𒍑𒆪 (kalû). A connection to the similar Phrygian and Roman priests of Cybele called gallae or galli has been suggested, but evidence is lacking.^[1]

gala (plural gala or galas)

1. (historical) A member of an androgynous class of priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.
   • 2008, Uri Gabbay, The Akkadian word for "third gender" / the kalû (gala) once again, in Proceedings of the 51st Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Held at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, July 18-22, 2005 (edited by Robert D. Biggs, Jennie Myers, Martha Tobi Roth), page 50:

     (6) Some galas/kalûs are mentioned in Pre-Sargonic and Old Babylonian texts in connection with classes of women, maids, and ḫarimtu-women.

     (7) The gala is sometimes mentioned in the same context with other functionaries [...]

• Gaal, agal, alga

gala

1. dye

• Richard Nci Diarra, Lexique bambara-français-anglais, December 13, 2010

• IPA^(key): /ɡꜜálá/

gala

1. wild dog, jackal

• Moi, Daniel Rabbi and Mario Lau Babur Kuduku, Sister Mary Mangira Michael, Simon Hagimir John, Rapheal Zakenia Paul Mafoi, Nyoul Gulluma Kuduku. 2018. Bongo – English Dictionary. Juba, South Sudan. SIL-South Sudan.

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

Borrowed from Old French gale (“pleasure”), from galer (“enjoy onself”).

gala f (plural gales)

1. pomp, display
2. gala
3. festival, dance

• de gala
• galejar

• galà
• galant

Borrowed from Latin galla.

gala f (plural gales)

1. gall (abnormal swelling growth on a plant)

   Synonyms: agalla, ballaruc, cecidi

• galer

• “gala” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

• Hyphenation: ga‧la

gala

1. a gala; a ball
2. money thrown to or pinned to the clothing of the wedding couple in a money dance

• laag, laga

Borrowed from Italian or Spanish gala.

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈɣaː.laː/
• Hyphenation: ga‧la

gala n (plural gala's, diminutive galaatje n)

1. a ceremonial celebration, originally a ball (formal dance), now often a prom
2. formal dress

   Synonyms: galakleding, staatsiegewaad, staatsiekleding

• galajurk
• galakleding
• kerstgala
• schoolgala

From Old Norse gala.

gala (third person singular past indicative gól, third person plural past indicative gólu, supine galið)

1. to crow (of a chicken)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: galas, galât

gala

1. third-person singular past historic of galer

Probably cognate with Spanish agalla.

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡalɐ]

gala f (plural galas)

1. (animal anatomy) gill (breathing organ of fish)

   Synonyms: branquia, guerla

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “gala”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “gala”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “gala”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

gala

1. inflection of galar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

gala

1. to throw away

From Old Norse gala, from Proto-Germanic *galaną.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaːla/
• Rhymes: -aːla

gala (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative galaði, supine galað)
gala (strong verb, third-person singular past indicative gól, third-person plural past indicative gólum, supine galið)

1. (intransitive, of a rooster) to crow
   • Matthew 26:74 (Icelandic, English 1 and 2)

     En hann sór og sárt við lagði, að hann þekkti ekki manninn. Um leið gól hani.

     Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed.

2. (intransitive) to cry, to scream

Originally a strong verb, but now most usually weak; the strong conjugation is mostly archaic or poetic, and is especially rare in the present tense.

• (scream): orga

• gaggalagú

From Sanskrit गल (gala, “neck, resin”).

• IPA^(key): /ɡala/
• Hyphenation: ga‧la

gala

1. resin
2. neck

From Dutch gala (“ball”), from French gala, from Spanish gala, from Old Spanish gala, from Old French gale (“rejoicing”). Ultimately cognate to gallant and hence probably from Frankish *wala (“good, well”).

• IPA^(key): /ɡala/
• Hyphenation: ga‧la

gala

1. ball

• “gala” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡal̪ˠə]

gala

1. nominative/vocative/dative plural of gal

From Medieval Latin, Latinized form of Frankish *wala (“good, well”), from Proto-Germanic *wal-, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, wish”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡa.la/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: gà‧la

gala f (plural gale)

1. bow (ornament on a dress etc.)
2. bow tie (large)
3. frill, flounce, ruche (guarnizione di trine o stoffa increspata)
4. roche, ruching, ruffle

• frangia
• guarnitura
• frappa
• balza
• volant

Borrowed from Old French gale (“rejoicing”), from galer (“to rejoice”).

gala m (invariable)

1. gala
2. festivity

• pompa
• pompa magna
• fasto
• magnificenza
• sontuosità

• → Portuguese: gala

• alga

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡala/

gala

1. not

   Gala anukwali. - I do not know.

• gala wala

gala

1. no

• Gunter Senft (1986), Kilivila: the Language of the Trobriand Islanders. Berlin • New York • Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter, p. 223. →ISBN

• laga

gala m

1. genitive singular of gals

gala

1. brass

gala

1. Romanization of ᡤᠠᠯᠠ

gala

1. plaster, glue

Inherited from Proto-Malayic *ɡəlaɣ.

gala

1. title (of a name).
2. nickname that relates to one's characteristics or condition.

• gola
• golou

• gale (e infinitive)

From Old Norse gala.

• IPA^(key): /²ɡɑːlɑ/, /²ɡɑːɽɑ/

gala (present tense gjel, past tense gol, supine gale, past participle galen, present participle galande, imperative gal)

1. to crow (to make the sound of a cuckoo or a rooster)

• “gala” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Proto-Germanic *galaną, whence also Old English galan, Old Saxon galan, Old High German galan. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (“to shout, charm away”).

gala

1. to sing
2. to crow
3. to chant (spells)

• galinn
• galdr
• hjala

• Danish: gale
• Faroese: gala
• Icelandic: gala
• Norwegian Nynorsk: gala, gale
• Norwegian Bokmål: gale
• Old Swedish: gala, (verbal noun) gall
  • Swedish: gala, (verbal noun) gall, (derivation) gallra

From Old Norse gala, from Proto-Germanic *galaną.

gala

1. to sing (of birds)
2. to crow (of roosters)
3. to charm, to enchant

• Swedish: gala

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ga‧la
• Homophone: Gala

Borrowed from French gala.

gala f (related adjective galowy)

1. gala (showy and festive party)
2. costume for gala, formal dress

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

gala f (diminutive galka)

1. (Far Masovian) thick pine tree

• gala in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• gala in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Wojciech Grzegorzewicz (1894) “gala”, in Sprawozdania Komisji Językowej Akademii Umiejętności (in Polish), volume 5, Krakow: Akademia Umiejętności, page 108

• Rhymes: -alɐ
• Hyphenation: ga‧la

Borrowed from Italian gala.^[1][2]

gala f (plural galas)

1. gala (showy and festive party)

Deverbal from galar

gala f (plural galas)

1. (Northeast Brazil, vulgar) sperm
2. chalaza (spiral band which attach the yolk of an egg to the eggshell)

   Synonym: galadura

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

gala

1. inflection of galar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡala/
• Hyphenation: ga‧la

From Proto-Cushitic. Cognates include Kambaata gal-.

gala

1. (intransitive) to stay the night

gala

1. (transitive) to conceal

• Kazuhiro Kawachi (2007) A grammar of Sidaama (Sidamo), a Cushitic language of Ethiopia, page 30
• Gizaw Shimelis, editor (2007), “gala”, in Sidaama-Amharic-English dictionary, Addis Ababa: Sidama Information and Culture department

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡala/ [ˈɡa.la]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ga‧la

From Latin Gallus (“Gaulish”).

gala

1. feminine singular of galo

From Old French gale (“rejoicing”), from galer (“to enjoy oneself”). Ultimately cognate to gallant and hence probably from Frankish *wala (“good, well”).

gala f (plural galas)

1. gala
2. elegant dress, male clothes, specially those used in a gala

• “gala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28

• alga

gala

1. Romanization of 𒍑𒆪 (gala)

From Italian or Spanish gala.

• IPA^(key): /²ɡɑːla/

gala c

1. gala; festival

From Old Swedish gala, from Old Norse gala, from Proto-Germanic *galaną.

gala (present gal, preterite gol, supine galit, imperative gal)

1. to crow; to make a sound characteristic of a rooster

   förrän hanen har galit ... Och i detsamma gol hanen ... Förrän hanen gal

   before the cock crow ... And immediately the cock crew ... Before the cock crow (Matthew 26:34, 74, 75)

• galning
• gola
• hanegäll

• kuckeliku

• gala in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gala in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• gala in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• laga

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈɡalaʔ/ [ˈɡaː.lɐʔ] (noun)
    • Rhymes: -alaʔ
  • IPA^(key): /ɡaˈlaʔ/ [ɡɐˈlaʔ] (adjective)
    • Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: ga‧la

galà (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)

1. wandering around; travelling around

   Synonyms: libot, paglibot, paglilibot

2. travel (to far places)

   Synonyms: lakbay, biyahe, layag, galugad

3. aimless wandering; act of going around aimlessly

   Synonyms: lakwatsa, paglalakwatsa

4. (Batangas) act of courting a woman

   Synonyms: ligaw, pagligaw, panliligaw

galâ (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)

1. having the habit of wandering; having a wanderlust
2. well-traveled (of a person)

   Synonyms: mapaglakbay, libot, layas, lagalag

3. having been visited often (of a place)

   Synonym: libot

• pusang gala

Borrowed from Spanish gala, from Old French gale (“rejoicing”), from galer (“to enjoy oneself”).

• degala — dress

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈɡala/ [ˈɡaː.lɐ]
• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ga‧la

gala (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)

1. full festive dress; festive uniform

gala (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)

1. officially festive

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

• laga

Borrowed from Italian gala.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡa.la/
• Hyphenation: ga‧la

gala (definite accusative galayı, plural galalar)

1. The first, exclusive showing of a movie, play etc. for critics or special guests.
2. The party after such a ceremony.

• “gala”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “gala³”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 1632

gala

1. Soft mutation of cala.