cala

See also: Appendix:Variations of "cala"

Catalan

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Unknown. From a pre-Celtic and pre-Iberian word. Compare Sicilian cala.

Noun

cala f (plural cales)

1. cove

Related terms

• calanca

Etymology 2

Deverbal from calar.

Noun

cala f (plural cales)

1. casting (of nets)

   Synonym: calada

2. lowering (of sails)
3. probe, sound

   Synonym: sonda

4. (archaeology, construction) trench
5. (medicine) suppository

   Synonym: supositori

Further reading

• “cala”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Etymology 3

Verb

cala

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

Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Central Pacific *cala, from Proto-Oceanic *salaq, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *salaq.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ðala/

Noun

cala

1. error
2. guilt, fault
3. disgrace
4. fallacy
5. transgression (caka vala)

Adjective

cala

1. wrong, erroneous, faulty
2. culpable, guilty

Adverb

cala

1. amiss, astray

Verb

cala

1. to err, deviate

Descendants

• → Fiji Hindi: daala

References

• Gatty, Ronald (2009), “cala”, in Fijian-English Dictionary, Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 39

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.la/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Verb

cala

1. third-person singular past historic of caler

Anagrams

• laça

Galician

Verb

cala

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

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.la/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: cà‧la

Etymology 1

Via a Vulgar Latin *calāre, possibly ultimately from a pre-Roman language. Related are French cale and Spanish cala.

Noun

cala f (plural cale)

1. inlet, cove

   Synonyms: baia, golfo, insenatura

2. (nautical) hold

Derived terms

• caletta

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cala

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

Further reading

• cala in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• cala in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication

Anagrams

• alca

Latin

Etymology 1

From the plural form of Ancient Greek κᾶλον (kâlon, “wood, logs, timber”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkaː.ɫa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkaː.la]

Noun

cāla f (genitive cālae); first declension

1. log to burn

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	cāla	cālae
genitive	cālae	cālārum
dative	cālae	cālīs
accusative	cālam	cālās
ablative	cālā	cālīs
vocative	cāla	cālae

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈka.ɫaː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkaː.la]

Verb

calā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of calō

References

• “cala”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• "cala", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀘𑀮 (Brahmi script)
• चल (Devanagari script)
• চল (Bengali script)
• චල (Sinhalese script)
• စလ or ၸလ (Burmese script)
• จล or จะละ (Thai script)
• ᨧᩃ (Tai Tham script)
• ຈລ or ຈະລະ (Lao script)
• ចល (Khmer script)
• 𑄌𑄣 (Chakma script)

Verb

cala

1. imperative active second-person singular of calati (“to move”)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.lɐ/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ca‧la
• Rhymes: -alɐ

Verb

cala

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

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• caladh

Etymology

From Old Irish calad (“shore, port, landing-place; land (as opposed to sea)”), from Late Latin calatum.

Noun

cala m (genitive singular cala, plural calaidhean)

1. harbour

   Synonyms: acarsaid, port

Mutation

Mutation of cala

radical	lenition
cala	chala

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Sicilian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.la/
• Rhymes: -ala
• Hyphenation: cà‧la

Etymology 1

Unknown, perhaps of pre-Roman origin. Cognate with Spanish and Catalan cala. Possibly cognate with calancu.

Noun

cala f (plural cali)

1. inlet, cove, creek

   Stamu jennu â cala [dî] muschi.

   We are going to Moss cove.

Derived terms

• calitta

Related terms

• Cala Janca
• Cala Marineḍḍa
• Cala Muschi
• Calafurnu
• funnu
• mari
• praja
• Scala dî Turchi
• vasciu

Descendants

• → Italian: cala

Etymology 2

From Sicilian calari, from Latin chalāre (“loosen, slacken”), from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō). Not related ti Sicilian scala.

Verb

cala

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

Related terms

• calari
• calata
• calatu
• calàrisi

Spanish

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:

cala (disambiguation)

Wikipedia ^es

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkala/ [ˈka.la]
• Rhymes: -ala
• Syllabification: ca‧la

Etymology 1

Deverbal from calar, from Latin chalō (“to loosen, to let down”), from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláō).

Noun

cala f (plural calas)

1. prove (originally, of a piece or slice of fruit)

   Synonym: prueba

2. try, attempt

   Synonyms: prueba, intento

3. testing

   Synonym: prueba

4. suppository (small medicinal plug that is inserted into the rectum)

   Synonym: supositorio

Related terms

• calar
• calilla

Etymology 2

Unknown, perhaps from pre-Roman origin. Or from Etymology 1, in the sense "let down an anchor", i.e. "anchorage".

Noun

cala f (plural calas)

2. cove

   Synonym: ensenada

Derived terms

• caleta

See also

• bahía
• ensenada

Etymology 3

Borrowed from New Latin Calla, former genus of the plant.

Noun

cala f (plural calas)

1. calla lily, arum lily (plant, flower)

   Synonym: alcatraz

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cala

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

Further reading

• “cala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swazi

Etymology

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

Verb

-cála

1. to begin

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Ternate

Etymology

Within North Halmahera, cognate to Tidore cala, Tabaru caana, Loloda calana, etc., all meaning '1000'. Direct external cognates include West Makian calan, East Makian calan, Waigeo calan, Wandamen siaran, Biak syáran, also all meaning '1000'. The external cognates are generally believed to be due to Ternate-Tidore influence.

Beyond these, see also Chamorro chålan (“thousand”), Tagalog daan (“hundred”), Kapampangan dálan (“hundred”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃa.la./

Numeral

cala

1. thousand

Volapük

Noun

cala

1. genitive singular of cal

Welsh

Alternative forms

• cal, caly

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *kalgā. Cognate with Cornish kal, kalgh; Breton kalc'h.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkala/

Noun

cala f (plural caliau)

1. (anatomy) penis

   Synonyms: pidyn, penis

Derived terms

• cala mwnci, cala'r cethlydd, cala'r mynach (“cuckoopint”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of cala

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
cala	gala	nghala	chala

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

Further reading

• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “penis”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “cala”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “cala”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies