al

See also: Appendix:Variations of "al"

Languages (71)

Translingual • English

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Afrikaans • Asturian • Azerbaijani • Basque • Breton • Catalan • Crimean Tatar • Danish • Dutch • Emilian • Epigraphic Mayan • Esperanto • French • Gagauz • Galician • Haitian Creole • Hani • Hungarian • Icelandic • Ido • Ingrian • Interlingua • Istriot • Italian • K'iche' • Ladin • Luxembourgish • Mauritian Creole • Michoacán Nahuatl • Middle Dutch • Middle English • Middle Low German • Mokilese • Northern Kurdish • Norwegian Nynorsk • Occitan • Oirata • Old Dutch • Old English • Old French • Old Frisian • Old High German • Old Irish • Old Norse • Old Saxon • Old Swedish • Picard • Polabian • Portuguese • Romanian • Saterland Frisian • Silesian • South Efate • Southeast Babar • Spanish • Sumau • Sumerian • Swedish • Tatar • Turkish • Turkmen • Venetan • Veps • Volapük • Watubela • West Flemish • West Frisian • West Masela • Yola

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Page categories

Translingual

Alternative forms

• aL

Symbol

al

1. (metrology) Symbol for attoliter (attolitre), an SI unit of fluid measure equal to 10⁻¹⁸ liters (litres).

English

Etymology 1

From Hindi आल (āl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æl/, /ɑːl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æl, -ɑːl

Noun

al (usually uncountable, plural als)

1. The Indian mulberry, Morinda citrifolia, especially as used to make dye.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:al.

Translations

Indian mulberry — see Indian mulberry

Etymology 2

Determiner

al

1. Archaic form of all.
   • c. 1522 (date written), Thomas More, “A Treatyce (Vnfynyshed) vppon These Wordes of Holye Scrypture, Memorare Nouissima, & Ineternum non Peccabis, Remember the Last Thynges, and Thou shalt Neuer Synne. […]”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, book I, page 80, column 1:

     Now if ye felt your belly in ſuche caſe, that ye muſt be fayne al daye to tende it with warme clothes, oꝛ els ye were not able to abide the payne, would ye recken your belly ſicke oꝛ whole? I wene ye would recken your belly not in good quart.

References

• “al”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “al”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "al" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.

Anagrams

• L. A., L.A., LA, La, La-, La., la, lä

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch al, from Middle Dutch al, from Old Dutch al, from Proto-West Germanic *all.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

al

1. already

Adjective

al (attributive alle, not comparable)

1. all; every

Conjunction

al

1. even though, although

Asturian

Contraction

al m sg

1. contraction of a +‎ el, literally “to the”

Azerbaijani

Other scripts

Cyrillic		ал
Arabic		آل

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *āl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɑɫ]

Adjective

al (comparative daha al, superlative ən al)

1. dark red, blood red, crimson

   Synonym: qırmızı

Etymology 2

Verb

al

1. second-person singular imperative of almaq

Further reading

• Orucov, Əliheydər, editor (2006), “al”, in Azərbaycan dilinin izahlı lüğəti [Explanatory Dictionary of the Azerbaijani Language]‎^[2] (in Azerbaijani), 2nd edition, volume 1, Baku: Şərq-Qərb, page 89
• Altun Kitab (2013–), “al”, in Azleks

Basque

Etymology

A grammaticalization of ahal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/ [al]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: al

Particle

al

1. Used to form yes/no questions.

   Esan al diozu? ― Did you tell her?

Usage notes

It is placed before the verb.

Further reading

• “al”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “al”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Breton

Alternative forms

• ar
• an (before n, d, t, and vowels)

Article

al

1. the (before l)

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /əl/, [əɫ]
  • Homophone: el (Eastern dialects)
• (Valencia) IPA^(key): /al/

• Audio (Catalonia):

  (file)

Contraction

al m sg

1. contraction of a +‎ el, literally “at the; to the”

   Vaig al zoo. ― I go to the zoo.

Usage notes

When el contracts to l' before a vowel, al is not used:

Ens veurem a l'aeroport. ― We'll meet at the airport.

Further reading

• “al”, 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

Crimean Tatar

Adjective

al

1. vermeil

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/, [ˈælˀ]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse allr (“all”).

Pronoun

al (neuter alt, plural alle)

1. all
2. any

Etymology 2

From Swedish alv

Noun

al c (singular definite alen, not used in plural form)

1. subsoil

Declension

Declension of al

common gender	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	al	alen
genitive	als	alens

References

• “al” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “al” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch al, from Old Dutch al, from Proto-West Germanic *all.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: al
• Rhymes: -ɑl

Determiner

al

1. all, all of

   Heb je al het bier opgedronken? ― Did you drink all the beer?

   Van Gogh produceerde al zijn werk gedurende een periode van slechts tien jaar. ― Van Gogh produced all of his work during a period of only ten years.

   Alle olie is uit de tanker gelekt. ― All the oil has leaked out of the tanker.

   Niet alle mensen zijn zo gemeen. ― Not all people are that mean.

Declension

Declension of al
uninflected	al
inflected	alle
comparative	—
		positive
predicative/adverbial		—
indefinite	m./f. sing.	alle
	n. sing.	al
	plural	alle
definite		alle
partitive		—

Derived terms

• algemeen
• almacht
• altijd
• alzijdig

Related terms

• alles

Descendants

• Afrikaans: al
• Jersey Dutch: ā, āl, ālle (from the inflected form)
• Negerhollands: al, alda
• → Aukan: ala
• → Sranan Tongo: ala

Adverb

al

1. already

   Het is al negen uur. ― It's 9 o'clock already.

2. yet

   Heb je al een kip gekocht? ― Have you bought a chicken yet?

3. (obsolete outside fixed phrases and compounds) emphatic modifier of adverbs
4. (obsolete or dialectal outside fixed phrases) synonym of wel (“opposite of not”)

Derived terms

• al dan niet
• al sinds
• aldaar
• aldus
• alhier
• allemaal
• alras
• althans
• alwaar
• alweer
• alzo
• meestal
• nogal
• veelal
• weeral

Related terms

• als

Descendants

• Petjo: al

Conjunction

al

1. even if

   Synonym: ook al

   Al zou ik het willen... ― Even if I wanted to...

Anagrams

• la

Emilian

Etymology

From Latin ille (“that”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/
• Hyphenation: al

Pronoun

al (personal)

1. (nominative case) he
2. (accusative case) him

Alternative forms

• Becomes l- before a vowel.
• Becomes -el when acting as an enclitic (after a consonant).
• Becomes -l when acting as an enclitic (after a vowel).

Related terms

Emilian personal pronouns (strong forms)

Number	Person		disjunctive (tonic)	nominative (subject)	accusative (direct complement)	dative (indirect complement)	reflexive	comitative (with)
singular	first		mè	a	me			mêg
	second		tè	et	te			têg
	third	m	ló	al		ge	se	sêg
		f	lê	la
plural	first	m	nuēter	a	se			nōsk
		f	nuētri
	second	m	vuēter	a	ve			vōsk
		f	vuētri
	third	m	lôr	i		ge	se	sêg
		f		el	li

Epigraphic Mayan

Verb

al

1. to speak

Esperanto

Etymology

Likely from Italian al, Catalan al, and Spanish al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: al

Preposition

al

1. to; toward
2. to (indicates indirect object)

   Ŝi donis la libron al siaj gepatroj. ― She gave the book to her (own) parents.

Related terms

• alaĵo (“appendix, addendum”)
• aligi (“add, join”)
• aliĝi (“join, enroll”)

Further reading

• “al”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “al”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

French

Etymology

Created in 2015 by Alpheratz, based on Old French al, a variant of the pronoun el.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

al gender-neutral (third-person singular, plural als, accusative lu)

1. (gender-neutral, neologism, nonstandard) they (singular). A gender-neutral singular third-person subject personal pronoun.

   Synonyms: ael, iel, ul, ol

   • 2022, Vinay Swamy, Louisa Mackenzie, Devenir non-binaire en français contemporain‎^[3], Paris: Le Manuscrit, →ISBN, pages 15-16:

     Alpheratz vise un monde dans lequel le neutre ne serait pas une seule notion abstraite, mais bien un vécu et un parler. Parler de la langue, pour Alpheratz, c’est nécessairement parler des significations sociales de ses silences. Car si les mots ont un sens, comme al nous rappelle en tête de son site Web, leur absence en a un aussi.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Related terms

French personal pronouns

number	person	gender	nominative (subject)	accusative (direct complement)	dative (indirect complement)	locative (at)	genitive (of)	disjunctive (tonic)1	emphatic reflexive
singular	first	—	je, j’	me, m’		—	—	moi	moi-même
	second	—	tu	te, t’		—	—	toi	toi-même
	third	masculine	il2	le, l’	lui	y	en	lui	lui-même
		feminine	elle	la, l’				elle	elle-même
		indeterminate	on3, l’on (formal), ce4, c’, ça	—	—	—	—	—	—
		reflexive	—	se, s’5		—	—	soi	soi-même
plural	first	—	nous	nous		—	—	nous	nous-mêmes
	second6	—	vous	vous		—	—	vous	vous-mêmes, vous-même6
	third	masculine	ils7	les	leur	y	en	eux7	eux-mêmes7
		feminine	elles					elles	elles-mêmes

¹ The disjunctive (tonic) forms are also used after an explicit preposition (de/d’, à, pour, chez, dans, vers, sur, sous, ...), instead the accusative, dative, genitive, locative, or reflexive forms, where a preposition is implied.
² Il is also used as an impersonal nominative-only pronoun.
³ On can also function as a first person plural (although agreeing with third person singular verb forms).
⁴ The nominal indeterminate form ce (demonstrative) can also be used with the auxiliary verb être as a plural, instead of the proximal or distal gendered forms.
⁵ The reflexive third person singular forms (se or s’) for accusative or dative are also used as third person plural reflexive.
⁶ Vous is also used as the polite singular form, in which case the plural disjunctive tonic vous-mêmes becomes singular vous-même.
⁷ Ils, eux and eux-mêmes are also used when a group has a mixture of masculine and feminine members.

Gagauz

Adjective

al

1. vermeil

Galician

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese al, from Vulgar Latin *ale, from Latin aliud, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos.

Pronoun

al

1. (obsolete) everything, the rest

   Synonym: o resto

2. (obsolete) other, another

   Synonym: outro

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Leonese al.

Contraction

al

1. contraction of a +‎ el, literally “to the (king)”
2. (Galician-Asturian) alternative form of ao

Usage notes

Used exclusively preceding the word rei (“king”), when referring to the current King of the land.

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “al”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “al”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Haitian Creole

Etymology

Contraction of French ale, from French aller.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Verb

al

1. to go

   Synonym: ale

References

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[4], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 5

Hani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a˥˥/

Interjection

al

1. showing surpise, or admiration

   Al! Aqqoq aqda/aqma!

   Oh! What a great man/woman!

   Al, zaqqul al!

   Oh, how beautiful it is!

Particle

al

1. indication completion of action

   zaq al ― finished eating

2. used with negative sentence

   Maq beq sso al

   Never mind

Hungarian

Etymology

From Proto-Uralic *ëla (“space, area under something, under(neath), the lower (part)”). (Spelled *ala in Uralonet.) Originally it was a noun; today it is used in compound words, see al-. Cognate with Finnish ala, ala-, Erzya ало (alo).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɒl]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

al

1. (archaic, rare) lower part of something

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	al	alok
accusative	alt	alokat
dative	alnak	aloknak
instrumental	allal	alokkal
causal-final	alért	alokért
translative	allá	alokká
terminative	alig	alokig
essive-formal	alként	alokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	alban	alokban
superessive	alon	alokon
adessive	alnál	aloknál
illative	alba	alokba
sublative	alra	alokra
allative	alhoz	alokhoz
elative	alból	alokból
delative	alról	alokról
ablative	altól	aloktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	alé	aloké
non-attributive possessive – plural	aléi	alokéi

Possessive forms of al

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	alom	aljaim
2nd person sing.	alod	aljaid
3rd person sing.	alja	aljai
1st person plural	alunk	aljaink
2nd person plural	alotok	aljaitok
3rd person plural	aljuk	aljaik

Derived terms

• al-
• alacsony
• alatt
• alá
• alája
• alig
• alól

Further reading

• al 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.
• al in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Icelandic

Noun

al

1. indefinite accusative/dative singular of alur

Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Preposition

al

1. contraction of a +‎ la, literally “to the”

Usage notes

This is optional, you can also use a l'...

Ingrian

Spatial inflection of al

↗︎○	allative	alle
○	adessive	al
○↘︎	ablative	alt

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *alla. Cognates include Finnish alla and Estonian all.

In the sense "near", semantic loan from Russian под (pod).

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑlːɑ/, [ˈɑɫː]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑl/, [ˈɑɫ]
• (Hevaha) IPA^(key): /ˈɑl/, [ˈɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -ɑlː, -ɑl
• Hyphenation: al
• Homophone: alle

Adverb

al

1. (of location) under, underneath
   • 1937, D. I. Efimov, Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (toin osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 53:

     Präkkää jää i paukkaa,
     vesi ono al.

     The ice crackles and bangs,
     Water is under it.

   • 1937, V. A. Tetjurev, translated by N. I. Molotsova, Loonnontiito (ensimäin osa): oppikirja alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 7:

     Kons șommela vesi seisohtaijaa, ni klaziputelin pohjaa jääpi kaks sloijaa: al — liiva, a sen pääl — savi.

     When the cloudy water settles down, two layers will remain on the bottom of the glass bottle: beneath - sand, and above it - clay.

Postposition

al (+ genitive)

1. (of location) under, underneath
   • 1936, V. I. Junus, Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[5], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 135:

     Aitan al ellää kärppä.

     Under the storehouse lives a stoat.

   • 1936, D. I. Efimov, Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (ensimäine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 11:

     Jään al hänel ei oo kylmä.

     Under the ice they aren't cold.

2. (of location) near, around
   • 1936, L. G. Terehova, V. G. Erdeli, translated by Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa) [Geography: textbook for Ingrian elementary school third grade (first part)], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 77:

     Talvi Moskovan al on pitkä, melkeen 5 kuuta.

     Winter around Moscow is long, almost 5 months.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “under”): pääl (“on top; above”)

References

• V. I. Junus (1936), Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[6], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 135
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 10
• Arvo Laanest (1997), Isuri keele Hevaha murde sõnastik, Eesti Keele Instituut, page 18
• Olga I. Konkova; Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014), Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎^[7], →ISBN, page 33

Interlingua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Preposition

al

1. contraction of a +‎ le, literally “to the”

Istriot

Contraction

al

1. contraction of a +‎ el, literally “at the”
   • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 40:

     Che mai pioûn biela duon i’iê veisto al mondo,

     That I haven’t ever seen a more beautiful woman in the world,

Italian

Alternative forms

• all' (before a vowel)
• allo (before a cluster of two consonants other than cl, cr, pl, pr, fl, fr, tr)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: al

Contraction

al

1. contraction of a +‎ il, literally “to the, at the”

Preposition

al m (feminine all' or alla)

1. (cooking, in the singular) with (an ingredient)

   Synonym: con

   risotto al pecorino ― rice with pecorino cheese

   risotto allo zafferano ― rice with saffron

   pasta all'aglio ― pasta with garlic

Anagrams

• -la, La, la, là

K'iche'

Adjective

al

1. heavy

Ladin

Contraction

al m sg

1. contraction of a +‎ l, literally “at/to the”

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German ald, northern variant of alt, from Proto-Germanic *aldaz. Cognate with German alt, English old, Dutch oud, West Frisian âld.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːl/
  • Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

al (masculine alen, neuter aalt, comparative méi al or eeler, superlative am eelsten)

1. old, aged

   Antonym: jonk

   Vun ale Mënsche kann ee villes léieren. ― There’s a lot to learn from old people.

2. (of food) stale

   Antonym: frësch

   Dat aalt Brout kënne mer de Vulle ginn. ― We can give the stale bread to the birds.

Declension

Declension of al

		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		hien ass al	si ass al	et ass al	si si(nn) al
nominative / accusative	attributive and/or after determiner	alen	al	aalt	al
	independent without determiner			ales	aler
dative	after any declined word	alen	aler	alen	alen
	as first declined word	alem		alem

Mauritian Creole

Verb

al

1. Medial form of ale

Michoacán Nahuatl

Etymology

From Proto-Nahuan *aa-tl, from Proto-Uto-Aztecan *pa.

Noun

al

1. water

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch al, from Proto-Germanic *allaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Determiner

al

1. all, all of

Adverb

al

1. completely

Conjunction

al

1. even though, no matter whether

Descendants

• Dutch: al
  • Afrikaans: al
• Limburgish: al

Further reading

• “al (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “al (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “al (V)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “al (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “al (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “al (IV)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page IV

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English æl, from Proto-West Germanic *al, from Proto-Germanic *alaz.

Alternative forms

• alle, aul, nal, hal
• el, eal

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/, /au̯l/

Noun

al (plural alles)

1. A tool or instrument with a sharp point.

Descendants

• English: awl, nall
• Scots: awl
• ⇒ Yola: nawlee

References

• “al, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Adverb

al

1. alternative form of all
   • 14th c. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales. General Prologue:

     And smale foweles maken melodye,
     That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
     (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);

     And many little birds make melody
     That sleep through all the night with open eye
     (So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)

Determiner

al

1. alternative form of all
   • 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41:

     And therwith he was named, as I gesse worthili, a passing reuli man and an innocent in al his lyuynge.

     And with this he was named, as I believe worthily, an excellent ruly and innocent man in all his living.

Middle Low German

Alternative forms

• all

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *ālu, from Proto-Germanic *ēlō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːl/

Noun

âl f

1. awl

References

• "al" in Köbler, Gerhard, Mittelniederdeutsches Wörterbuch (3rd edition 2014)

Mokilese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Austronesian *zalan

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *zalan

Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *zalan

Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *zalan

Proto-Oceanic *jalan

Proto-Micronesian *ala

Mokilese al

From Proto-Micronesian *ala (“path, road”), from Proto-Oceanic *jalan (“path, road”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *zalan (“path, way”), from Proto-Austronesian *zalan (“path, way”)

Noun

al (third person singularly possessed aloa, construct alen)

1. line
2. road, path, way

Verb

al

1. (intransitive) to line, draw lines

Derived terms

• alahl

References

• Harrison, Sheldon P.; Albert, Salich Y. (1977), Mokilese-English Dictionary‎^[8], Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, →ISBN, page 7

External links

• Blust's Austronesian Comparative Dictionary – *zalan

Northern Kurdish

Central Kurdish	لا (la)
Southern Kurdish	لا (la)

Alternative forms

• alî m

Etymology

Doublet of yar, see alî for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːl/
• Rhymes: -al

Noun

al f (Arabic spelling ئال)

1. (archaic, dialectal) side

Declension

Declension of al

definite masculine gender
case	singular	plural
nominative	al	al
construct	alê	alên
oblique	alî	alan
demonstrative oblique	wî alî	wan alan
vocative	alo	alino
indefinite masculine gender
case	singular	plural
nominative	alek	alin
construct	alekî	aline
oblique	alekî	alinan

Derived terms

• alî
• alek
• alûgorr

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From ala (“to foster, breed”).

Noun

al n (definite singular alet, indefinite plural al, definite plural ala)

1. nourishing, fostering
2. a young (farm) animal that one has bred
3. breeding

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

al

1. imperative of ala

References

• “al” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Pronunciation

• Audio (Languedoc):

  (file)

Contraction

al m sg

1. contraction of a +‎ lo, literally “to the; at the”

Oirata

Noun

al

1. war

Old Dutch

Alternative forms

• ol

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *all. Cognates include Old High German al and Old Saxon al.

Adjective

al

1. all, every
   • 11th century, Hebban olla vogala:

     Hebban olla vogala nestas hagunnan

     All birds have started to build their nests

2. whole, entire
   • 10th century, Wachtendonck Psalms:

     An allero erthon fuor luit.

     Over the entire world the sound spread.

Inflection

Declension of al (a-stem)

strong declension
case	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
nominative	al	al	al	alla, alle
accusative	allan, allen	alla	al	alla, alle
genitive	alles	allero	alles	allero
dative	allin, allemo	allero	allin, allemo	allon
weak declension
case	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
nominative	allo	alla	alla	allon
accusative	allon	allon	alla	allon
genitive	allin	allon	allin	allono
dative	allin	allon	allin	allon

Adverb

al

1. completely, wholly
   • ca. 1100, Leiden Willeram:

     Sin buch is elphondbeinin, al underskeithet mit saphiris.

     His stomach is of ivory, wholly decorated with sapphires.

Conjunction

al

1. even though
   • ca. 1200, Rhinelandic Rhyming Bible:

     Ire beider sculde waren grozlich, al newæren sie nieht gelich.

     Both their debts were great, even though they weren't equal.

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: al
  • Dutch: al
    • Afrikaans: al
  • Limburgish: al

Further reading

• “al (II)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
• “al (III)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
• “al (IV)”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *ail, from Proto-Germanic *ailą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éydʰ-lom, from *h₂eydʰ- (“to burn, kindle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːl/
• Rhymes: -ɑːl

Noun

āl n

1. fire

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	āl	āl
accusative	āl	āl
genitive	āles	āla
dative	āle	ālum

Derived terms

• ālfæt
• ālgeweorc
• onāl

Old French

Alternative forms

• au

Contraction

al

1. contraction of a +‎ le, literally “to the”

Old Frisian

Alternative forms

• alle, ol

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *all, from Proto-Germanic *allaz. Cognate with Old English eall, Old Saxon all, Old Dutch al, Old High German al, Old Norse allr.

Adjective

al

1. all

Declension

Declension of al — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	al	al, ale	al
Accusative	alene, alne	ale	al
Genitive	ales	alere, alre	ales
Dative	ale	alere, alre	ale
Plural
Nominative		ale
Accusative		ale
Genitive		alera, alra
Dative		ale

Declension of al — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ala	ale, ala	ale
Accusative	ala	ala	ale
Genitive	ala	ala	ala
Dative	ala	ala	ala
Plural
Nominative		ala
Accusative		ala
Genitive		ala
Dative		ala, alum

Adverb

al

1. wholly, completely

Descendants

• North Frisian: aal (Föhr-Amrum), aale (Goesharde), åle (Mooring), ali (Sylt), ale (Wiedingharde)
• Saterland Frisian: al, aal
• West Frisian: alle

Old High German

Alternative forms

• all

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *all, from Proto-Germanic *allaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

al

1. all
2. every, each
3. whole

Descendants

• Middle High German: al
  • Alemannic German: älli
  • German: all
  • Luxembourgish: all
  • Vilamovian: oły, ołły
  • Yiddish: אַלע (ale)

Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *āl, whence also Old English ǣl, Old Norse áll.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːl/
• Rhymes: -aːl

Noun

āl m

1. eel

Declension

Declension of āl (masculine a-stem)

case	singular	plural
nominative	āl	ālā, āla
accusative	āl	ālā, āla
genitive	āles	ālo
dative	āle	ālum
instrumental	ālu	—

Descendants

• Middle High German: āl
  • German: Aal
  • Hunsrik: Ool
  • Luxembourgish: Éil

References

• Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Old Irish

Etymology

Unstressed form of oll (“great, vast”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal/

Preposition

al [with accusative]

1. beyond

Derived terms

• allae
• allaid
• anall
• olchenae
• oldaas
• olfoirbthiu

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 al”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909], D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, § 825, page 500; reprinted 2017

Old Norse

Noun

al

1. indefinite accusative/dative singular of alr

Verb

al

1. second-person singular active imperative of ala

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• all

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *all, from Proto-Germanic *allaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑl/
• Rhymes: -ɑl

Adjective

al

1. all
2. entire
3. any

Declension

Declension of al

Strong declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	al	al	al	alle	allu	alle
accusative	allana	al	alla	alle	allu	alle
genitive	alles	alles	allaro	allarō	allarō	allarō
dative	allumu	allumu	allaro	allum	allum	allum
Weak declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative	allo	alla	alla	allu
accusative	allun	alla	allun	allun
genitive	allun	allun	allun	allonō
dative	allun	allun	allun	allum

Descendants

• Middle Low German: al, alle
  • German Low German: all, alle (Münsterländisch; Sauerländisch), olle (Paderbornisch)
  • Plautdietsch: aul

Adverb

al

1. entirely, thoroughly
2. exactly, absolutely, already, quite

References

• Köbler, Gerhard, Altsächsisches Wörterbuch (5th edition 2014)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *ēlaz. Cognate with Old English ǣl, Dutch aal, Old High German āl (German Aal), Old Norse áll (Danish and Swedish ål).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑːl/
• Rhymes: -ɑːl

Noun

āl m

1. eel

Declension

āl (masculine a-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	āl	ālos
accusative	āl	ālos
genitive	āles	ālō
dative	āle	ālum
instrumental	—	—

References

• Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch‎^[9] (in German), 5th edition

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse áll, from Proto-Germanic *ēlaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːl/

Noun

āl m

1. eel

Declension

Declension of āler (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	āler	ālrin	ālar	ālanir, ālaner
accusative	āl	ālin	āla	ālana
dative	āli, āle	ālinum, ālenom	ālum, ālom	ālumin, ālomen
genitive	āls	ālsins	āla	ālanna

Descendants

• Swedish: ål

Picard

Etymology 1

From Old French.

Pronoun

al

1. she

Etymology 2

From Old French, from Latin allium.

Noun

al

1. garlic

Polabian

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German al.

Adverb

al

1. already
   • 1725, Johann Parum Schultze, Die Wendländische Bauernchronik

     jong al no zartjü

     Ją al no carťėv

     He is already at the cemetery.

References

• Lehr-Spławiński, T.; Polański, K. (1962), “al”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka Drzewian połabskich [Etymological Dictionary of the Polabian Drevani Language] (in Polish), number 1 (A – ďüzd), Wrocław; Warszawa etc.: Ossolineum, page 17
• Polański, Kazimierz; James Allen Sehnert (1967), “al”, in Polabian-English Dictionary, The Hague, Paris: Mouton & Co, page 34
• Olesch, Reinhold (1962), “al”, in Thesaurus Linguae Dravaenopolabicae [Thesaurus of the Drevani language] (in German), volumes 1: A – O, Cologne, Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, →ISBN, page 3

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese al, from Vulgar Latin *ale, from Latin aliud, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw/ [ˈaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈal/ [ˈaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈal/ [ˈaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈa.li/

• Hyphenation: al

Pronoun

al

1. (obsolete) everything, the rest

   Synonym: o resto

2. (obsolete) other, another

   Synonym: outro

Related terms

• alheio

Further reading

• “al”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “al”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin illum, from ille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Article

al m or n sg (feminine singular a, masculine plural ai, feminine/neuter plural ale)

1. of (masculine/neuter singular possessive or genitive article)

   el este un prieten al meu ― he is a friend of mine.

See also

• ăla
• -l

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian all, from Proto-West Germanic *all. Cognates include West Frisian al and Dutch al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/
• Hyphenation: al
• Rhymes: -al

Adverb

al

1. already

References

• Marron C. Fort (2015), “al”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Silesian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Aal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: al

Noun

al m animal

1. eel

Further reading

• Barbara Podgórska; Adam Podgóski (2008), “al”, in Słownik gwar śląskich [A dictionary of Silesian dialects] (in Polish), Katowice: Wydawnictwo KOS, →ISBN, page 25

South Efate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Noun

al

1. Sun

Southeast Babar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal/

Noun

al

1. road

References

• Mark Taber, Toward a Better Understanding of the Indigenous Languages of Southwestern Maluku, in Oceanic Linguistics, vol. 32, no. 2 (Winter, 1993)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/ [al]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: al

Contraction

al

1. contraction of a +‎ el, literally “at the, to the”
   • 2019 February 17, Francisco Martínez Hoyos, “10 idiomas que se crearon de la nada”, in La Vanguardia‎^[10]:

     Por este medio emite Muzaiko, una radio con una programación en esperanto 24 horas al día.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2021 July 21, Juan Garzon, “Los mejores celulares Android de 2021”, in CNN en Español‎^[11]:

     Este celular tiene una hermosa pantalla, un cuerpo que es resistente al agua (IP68), su procesador Snapdragon 888 (o Exynos 2100), con 12 GB o 16 GB de RAM, ofrece una experiencia muy fluida y es el primer celular de la serie Galaxy S que es compatible con un S Pen, el stylus de Samsung.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (followed by a verb) upon

See also

• del

Further reading

• “al”, 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
• “al”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española]; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2023, →ISBN

Anagrams

• la

Sumau

Noun

al

1. a tree species of the family Combretaceae, Terminalia impediens

Further reading

• Coode, M. J. E. (1969), “Four new species of Terminalia L. (Combretaceae) from Melanesia”, in Kew Bulletin, volume 23, number 2, →DOI, page 308

Sumerian

Romanization

al

1. romanization of 𒀠 (al)

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish al, from Old Norse ǫlr (compare Icelandic elri, Danish el, Norwegian older), from Proto-Germanic *aluz, *alusō (compare English alder), variant of *alizō, *alisō (compare Dutch els, German Erle), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

al c

1. alder (tree)

Declension

Declension of al

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	al	als
	definite	alen	alens
plural	indefinite	alar	alars
	definite	alarna	alarnas

Derived terms

• gråal
• klibbal

Further reading

• “al”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• al in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Anagrams

• l:a, la

Tatar

Adjective

al

1. Latin spelling of ал (al)

Turkish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑɫ/, [ˈɑɫ̪]

Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish آل (al), from Proto-Turkic *āl (“red, crimson”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰞 (āl) and akin to Proto-Tungusic *pula (“red”) and Proto-Mongolic *hulaxan (“red”)

Adjective

al

1. blood red
2. (dated) dark red
3. (by extension) red (in general)

See also

• kırmızı (“red”)
• kızıl (“light red”)

Noun

al (definite accusative alı, plural allar)

1. blood red (specifically the red on the flag of Turkey)
2. (dated) dark red
3. (by extension) red (in general)

Declension

Declension of al

singular plural nominative al allar definite accusative alı alları dative ala allara locative alda allarda ablative aldan allardan genitive alın alların Possessive forms nominative singular plural 1st singular alım allarım 2nd singular alın alların 3rd singular alı alları 1st plural alımız allarımız 2nd plural alınız allarınız 3rd plural alları alları definite accusative singular plural 1st singular alımı allarımı 2nd singular alını allarını 3rd singular alını allarını 1st plural alımızı allarımızı 2nd plural alınızı allarınızı 3rd plural allarını allarını dative singular plural 1st singular alıma allarıma 2nd singular alına allarına 3rd singular alına allarına 1st plural alımıza allarımıza 2nd plural alınıza allarınıza 3rd plural allarına allarına locative singular plural 1st singular alımda allarımda 2nd singular alında allarında 3rd singular alında allarında 1st plural alımızda allarımızda 2nd plural alınızda allarınızda 3rd plural allarında allarında ablative singular plural 1st singular alımdan allarımdan 2nd singular alından allarından 3rd singular alından allarından 1st plural alımızdan allarımızdan 2nd plural alınızdan allarınızdan 3rd plural allarından allarından genitive singular plural 1st singular alımın allarımın 2nd singular alının allarının 3rd singular alının allarının 1st plural alımızın allarımızın 2nd plural alınızın allarınızın 3rd plural allarının allarının

See also

Colors in Turkish · renkler (layout · text)

beyaz, ak	gri, boz	siyah, kara
kırmızı, kızıl; al	turuncu; kahverengi, boz	sarı; bej
limon çürüğü	yeşil	nane yeşili
camgöbeği; turkuaz	mavi, gök	lacivert
eflatun; mor	pembe; mor	yavruağzı

References

• Tokat, Feyza (2014), “On the Common Words in Mongolian and the Turkish Dialects in Turkey”, in The Journal of International Social Research (Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi)‎^[12], volume 7, number 32, →ISSN, pages 185-198.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Turkic *āl (“trick, deceit; to deceive”).

Noun

al

1. (dated) trick, trap

   Synonyms: hile, tuzak

Related terms

• aldanmak
• aldatmak

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

al

1. second-person singular imperative of almak

Turkmen

Other scripts
Latin	al
Cyrillic	ал
Arabic	آل

Adjective

al (comparative alrak, superlative iň al)

1. pink

Venetan

Preposition

al

1. to the
2. at the

Article

al m sg

1. (Belluno) alternative form of el

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *alla; related to Finnish alla.

Postposition

al

1. under, underneath (stationary location)

Related terms

• alle
• alpäi

References

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “под”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[13], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Volapük

Etymology

Perhaps from Germanic. See English all, German all (“all”), and Swedish all (“all”); all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *allaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al/

Pronoun

al (genitive ala)

1. each (every person or thing of a group, individually)

Declension

Declension of al

	Singular
Nominative	al
Genitive	ala
Dative	ale
Accusative	ali
Predicative1	alu
Vocative	o al

1. Introduced in Volapük Nulik.

Derived terms

• alik
• alna
• alo

Watubela

Noun

al

1. water

References

• Papers from the Fourth International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics: FOCAL II (1986)
• Blust, Austronesian Comparative Dictionary

West Flemish

Adverb

al

1. already

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian all, from Proto-West Germanic *all. Cognate with English all.

Determiner

al

1. all

Inflection

This determiner needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• hielal

Further reading

• “al”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Adverb

al

1. already

Further reading

• “al”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

West Masela

Noun

al

1. path

References

• Charles E. Grimes, Owen Edwards, The Austronesian languages of eastern Indonesia and Timor Leste (2026), page 227

Yola

Pronoun

al

1. alternative form of aul
   • 1927, “PAUDEEN FOUGHLAAN'S WEDDEEN”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, page 133, line 18:

     An smithered hays videl, bow, strings an al;

     And smashed his fiddle, bow, strings and all;

References

• Kathleen A. Browne (1927), “THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD.”, in Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of lreland (Sixth Series)‎^[14], volume 17, number 2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, page 133