# gala
## English
### Etymology 1

From French gala, or directly from that word's etymon, which is either Italian gala, or Spanish gala, 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”).

#### Pronunciation

* Rhymes: -ɑːlə, -ælə, -eɪlə
* Audio (UK):(file)
* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈɡɑːlə/
* (US) IPA: /ˈɡælə/, /ˈɡeɪlə/, /ˈɡɑːlə/
* (Northumbria) IPA: /ˈɡeɪlə/

#### Adjective

gala (not comparable)
* Celebratory; festive.

##### Translations
#### Noun

gala (plural galas)
* (uncountable) Pomp, show, or festivity.
* A competition
    a swimming gala
* (countable) A showy and festive party.
* A red-skinned variety of eating apple.

##### Derived terms

* gala dress
* galalike
* gala pie
* gala-series
* obligala
* royal gala

##### Translations
#### References

* 1 2 “gala”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
* 1 2 “gala”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

### Etymology 2

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.

#### Noun

gala (plural gala or galas)
* (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 [...]

#### References

* ↑ Philippe Borgeaud, Mother of the Gods: From Cybele to the Virgin Mary (2004), page 48

### Anagrams

* Gaal, agal, alga

## Albanian
### Noun

gala
* inflection of galë:
** definite nominative singular
** indefinite nominative/accusative plural

## Bambara
### Noun

gala
* dye

#### Derived terms

* galadonna
* galaji

### References

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

## Bongo
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡꜜálá/

### Noun

gala
* wild dog, jackal

### References

* 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.

## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ˈɡa.lə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˈɡa.la]

### Etymology 1

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

#### Noun

gala f (plural gales)
* pomp, display
* gala
* festival, dance

##### Derived terms

* de gala
* galejar

##### Related terms

* galà
* galant

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin galla.

#### Noun

gala f (plural gales)
* gall (abnormal swelling growth on a plant)
    Synonyms: agalla, ballaruc, cecidi

##### Derived terms

* galer

### Further reading

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

## Cebuano
### Pronunciation

* Hyphenation: ga‧la

### Noun

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

### Anagrams

* laag, laga

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian or Spanish gala.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* IPA: /ˈɣaː.laː/
* Hyphenation: ga‧la

### Noun

gala n (plural gala's, diminutive galaatje n)
* a ceremonial celebration, originally a ball (formal dance), now often a prom
* formal dress
    Synonyms: galakleding, staatsiegewaad, staatsiekleding

#### Derived terms

* galajurk
* galakleding
* kerstgala
* schoolgala

## Faroese
### Etymology

From Old Norse gala.

### Verb

gala (third person singular past indicative gól, third person plural past indicative gólu, supine galið)
* to crow (of a chicken)

#### Conjugation

$^1$Only the past participle being declined.

## French
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* Homophones: galas, galât

### Verb

gala
* third-person singular past historic of galer

## Galician
### Etymology 1

Probably cognate with Spanish agalla.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈɡalɐ]

#### Noun

gala f (plural galas)
* (animal anatomy) gill (breathing organ of fish)
    Synonyms: branquia, guerla

#### References

* 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

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

gala
* inflection of galar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

## Garo
### Verb

gala
* to throw away

## Icelandic
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkaːla/
* Rhymes: -aːla

### Verb

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)
* (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.
* (intransitive) to cry, to scream
    Synonym: orga

#### Conjugation

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.

#### See also

* gaggalagú

## Indonesian
### Etymology 1

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

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡala/
* Hyphenation: ga‧la

#### Noun

gala
* resin
* neck

##### Derived terms

* bergala-gala
* gala-gala

### Etymology 2

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”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡala/
* Hyphenation: ga‧la

#### Noun

gala
* ball

### Further reading

* “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.

## Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈɡal̪ˠə]

### Noun

gala
* nominative/vocative/dative plural of gal

### Mutation

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

## Italian
### Etymology 1

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

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡa.la/
* Rhymes: -ala
* Hyphenation: gà‧la

#### Noun

gala f (plural gale)
* bow (ornament on a dress etc.)
* bow tie (large)
* frill, flounce, ruche (guarnizione di trine o stoffa increspata)
* roche, ruching, ruffle

##### Synonyms

* frangia
* guarnitura
* frappa
* balza
* volant

### Etymology 2

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

#### Noun

gala m (invariable)
* gala
* festivity

##### Synonyms

* pompa
* pompa magna
* fasto
* magnificenza
* sontuosità

##### Descendants

* → Portuguese: gala

### Anagrams

* alga

## Kilivila
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡala/

### Particle

gala
* not
    Gala anukwali. - I do not know.

#### Idioms

* gala wala

### Interjection

gala
* no

### References

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

### Anagrams

* laga

## Latvian
### Noun

gala m
* genitive singular of gals

## Ledo Kaili
### Noun

gala
* brass

## Manchu
### Romanization

gala
* Romanization of ᡤᠠᠯᠠ

## Maranao
### Noun

gala
* plaster, glue

## Minangkabau
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayic *ɡəlaɣ.

### Noun

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

#### Synonyms

* gola
* golou

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Alternative forms

* gale (e infinitive)

### Etymology

From Old Norse gala.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /²ɡɑːlɑ/, /²ɡɑːɽɑ/

### Verb

gala (present tense gjel, past tense gol, supine gale, past participle galen, present participle galande, imperative gal)
* to crow (to make the sound of a cuckoo or a rooster)

### References

* “gala” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Old Norse
### Etymology

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”).

### Verb

gala
* to sing
* to crow
* to chant (spells)

#### Related terms

* galinn
* galdr
* hjala

#### Descendants

* 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

## Old Swedish
### Etymology

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

### Verb

gala
* to sing (of birds)
* to crow (of roosters)
* to charm, to enchant

#### Descendants

* Swedish: gala

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡa.la/
* (Masovia):
** (Far Masovian) IPA: /ˈɡa.la/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ala
* Syllabification: ga‧la
* Homophone: Gala

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from French gala.

#### Noun

gala f (related adjective galowy)
* gala (showy and festive party)
* costume for gala, formal dress

##### Related terms

* galowo

### Etymology 2

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

#### Noun

gala f (diminutive galka)
* (Far Masovian) thick pine tree

##### Derived terms

* galacek

### Further reading

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

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡa.lɐ/
* Rhymes: -alɐ
* Hyphenation: ga‧la

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian gala.

#### Noun

gala f (plural galas)
* gala (showy and festive party)

### Etymology 2

Deverbal of galar

#### Noun

gala f (plural galas)
* (Northeast Brazil, vulgar) sperm
* chalaza (spiral band which attach the yolk of an egg to the eggshell)
    Synonym: galadura

### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

gala
* inflection of galar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### References

* ↑ “gala”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* ↑ “gala”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Sidamo
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡala/
* Hyphenation: ga‧la

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Cushitic. Cognates include Kambaata gal-.

#### Verb

gala
* (intransitive) to stay the night

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

gala
* (transitive) to conceal

### References

* 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

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡala/ [ˈɡa.la]
* Audio (Colombia):(file)
* Rhymes: -ala
* Syllabification: ga‧la

### Etymology 1

From Latin Gallus (“Gaulish”).

#### Adjective

gala
* feminine singular of galo

### Etymology 2

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

#### Noun

gala f (plural galas)
* gala
* elegant dress, male clothes, specially those used in a gala

##### Derived terms

* hacer gala
* llevar a gala
* tener a gala

### Further reading

* “gala”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

### Anagrams

* alga

## Sumerian
### Romanization

gala
* Romanization of 𒍑𒆪 (gala)

## Swedish
### Etymology 1

From Italian or Spanish gala.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /²ɡɑːla/

#### Noun

gala c
* gala; festival

##### Derived terms

* galamiddag
* galapetter
* insamlingsgala
* popgala
* rockgala
* tv-gala

### Etymology 2

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

#### Verb

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

##### Conjugation

$^1$ Archaic. $^2$ Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

##### Derived terms

* galning
* gola
* hanegäll

##### See also

* kuckeliku

### References

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

### Anagrams

* laga

## Tagalog
### Etymology 1
#### Pronunciation

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

#### Noun

galà (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)
* wandering around; travelling around
    Synonyms: libot, paglibot, paglilibot
* travel (to far places)
    Synonyms: lakbay, biyahe, layag, galugad
* aimless wandering; act of going around aimlessly
    Synonyms: lakwatsa, paglalakwatsa
* (Batangas) act of courting a woman
    Synonyms: ligaw, pagligaw, panliligaw

##### Derived terms

* galain
* gumala
* gumala-gala
* maggagala
* maggala
* magpagala-gala
* pagala
* pagala-gala
* paggagala
* paggala
* pagpapagala-gala
* palagala

#### Adjective

galâ (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)
* having the habit of wandering; having a wanderlust
* well-traveled (of a person)
    Synonyms: mapaglakbay, libot, layas, lagalag
* having been visited often (of a place)
    Synonym: libot

##### Derived terms

* pusang gala

### Etymology 2

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

#### Alternative forms

* degala — dress

#### Pronunciation

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

#### Noun

gala (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)
* full festive dress; festive uniform

#### Adjective

gala (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜎ)
* officially festive

##### Derived terms

* madegala
* nakagala

### Further reading

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

### Anagrams

* laga

## Turkish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian gala.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡa.la/
* Hyphenation: ga‧la

### Noun

gala (definite accusative galayı, plural galalar)
* The first, exclusive showing of a movie, play etc. for critics or special guests.
* The party after such a ceremony.

#### Declension

singular
plural
nominative
gala
galalar
definite accusative
galayı
galaları
dative
galaya
galalara
locative
galada
galalarda
ablative
galadan
galalardan
genitive
galanın
galaların
Possessive forms
nominative
singular
plural
1st singular
galam
galalarım
2nd singular
galan
galaların
3rd singular
galası
galaları
1st plural
galamız
galalarımız
2nd plural
galanız
galalarınız
3rd plural
galaları
galaları
definite accusative
singular
plural
1st singular
galamı
galalarımı
2nd singular
galanı
galalarını
3rd singular
galasını
galalarını
1st plural
galamızı
galalarımızı
2nd plural
galanızı
galalarınızı
3rd plural
galalarını
galalarını
dative
singular
plural
1st singular
galama
galalarıma
2nd singular
galana
galalarına
3rd singular
galasına
galalarına
1st plural
galamıza
galalarımıza
2nd plural
galanıza
galalarınıza
3rd plural
galalarına
galalarına
locative
singular
plural
1st singular
galamda
galalarımda
2nd singular
galanda
galalarında
3rd singular
galasında
galalarında
1st plural
galamızda
galalarımızda
2nd plural
galanızda
galalarınızda
3rd plural
galalarında
galalarında
ablative
singular
plural
1st singular
galamdan
galalarımdan
2nd singular
galandan
galalarından
3rd singular
galasından
galalarından
1st plural
galamızdan
galalarımızdan
2nd plural
galanızdan
galalarınızdan
3rd plural
galalarından
galalarından
genitive
singular
plural
1st singular
galamın
galalarımın
2nd singular
galanın
galalarının
3rd singular
galasının
galalarının
1st plural
galamızın
galalarımızın
2nd plural
galanızın
galalarınızın
3rd plural
galalarının
galalarının :

#### Related terms

* balo
* festival
* şov

### References

* ↑ Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “gala”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

### Further reading

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

## Welsh
### Noun

gala
* Soft mutation of cala.

### Mutation

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