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mala

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mala¹

  • /ˈmeɪ.lə/

Rhymes with -eɪlə

Where it comes from

Learned borrowing from Latin māla (“the cheekbone, jaw”).

noun malae

  1. A single lobe of an insect's maxilla.
  2. The grinding surface of an insect's mandible.
  3. The third segment of a mandible of some myriapods.

mala²

  • /ˈmæl.ə/

Where it comes from

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

noun

  1. plural plural of malum

mala³

  • /ˈmɑːlɑː/ UK
  • /ˈmɑlɑ/ US

Where it comes from

Transliteration of Sanskrit माला (mālā, “wreath, garland, crown”).

noun malas · mala

  1. Hinduism, Sikhism A bead or a set of beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a deity. His words were like beads on the string of a mala, escaping his lips in small puffs of air.

    Similar: japamala

mala⁴

Where it comes from

From Western Desert Language, as Pitjantjatjara mala.

noun malas

  1. Synonym of rufous hare-wallaby.

    Similar: rufous hare-wallaby

mala⁵

  • /ˈmɑːlɑː/ UK
  • /ˈmɑlɑ/ US

noun

  1. uncountable A seasoning made from Sichuan pepper and chilis.

MALA⁶

noun

  1. abbreviation, uncountable Abbreviation of metformin-associated metabolic acidosis

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Cite this
MLA

"mala." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mala. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mala. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mala

Chicago

"mala." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mala.

BibTeX
@misc{mala_2026,
  title = {mala},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mala},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}