mela

From Urdu میلہ (mela)/Hindi मेला (melā), from Sanskrit मेलक (melaka).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪlə/
• Rhymes: -eɪlə
• Homophone: mailer (non-rhotic pronunciations)

mela (plural melas)

1. A Hindu religious festival.
2. A South Asian fair. [from 19th c.]
   • 2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin, published 2015, page 53:

     Kalua was a man of unusual height and powerful build: in any fair, festival or mela, he could always be spotted towering above the crowd—even the jugglers on stilts were usually not so tall as he.

   • 2011, Arupa Patangia Kalita, translated by Deepika Phukan, The Story of Felanee:

     Every year there was a mela in the small village where Jutimala lived and Khitish would send three workers to set up a stall there.

• Elma, amel, -meal, meal, alme, Lema, male-, Male, male, leam, lame, lamé, Leam, Elam, Malé, lema

• IPA^(key): /mɯ˧.la˧/, [mə˧.la˧]

From Proto-Central Naga *m-laj, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *loj.

mela

1. to be easy

mela

1. to allow, permit
   • 1967, “1 Samuel 1:17”, in Ao Naga Common Language Bible, Bible Society of India:

     ...Israel Tsüngremi nai pa dang asüngdangba ajak ne dang mela-angma.

     May the God of Israel allow you [to have] all that you asked of him.

• Bruhn, Daniel Wayne (2014), A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga‎^[2], Berkeley: University of California, pages 97, 191
• Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave (1985), Ao-English-Hindi Dictionary, Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, page 58
• Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, page 89

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɛla]
• Hyphenation: me‧la

mela f

1. melee

   Synonyms: tlačenice, zmatek, chaos

2. brawl

   Synonym: rvačka

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

mela

1. masculine singular present transgressive of mlít

• “mela”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “mela”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

From Proto-Finnic *mëla, from Proto-Finno-Permic *melä.^[1][2] Cognates include Karelian mela,^[3] Ludian mela (“oar”), Veps mela (“oar”), Estonian mõla (“paddle, oar”), Votic mõla (“paddle, oar”), Livvi mela (“paddle, oar”), Northern Sami mealli (“oar”), Erzya миле (mile, “oar, paddle”), Komi-Zyrian маль (maľ, “oar”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmelɑ/, [ˈme̞lɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -elɑ
• Syllabification^(key): me‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): me‧la

mela

1. paddle (oar-like implement)
2. (slang) dick (penis)

• molo

• “mela”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

• Elma, elam

mēla

1. romanization of 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌰

Borrowed from Russian мел (mel).

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈmelɑ/, [ˈme̞ɫɑˑ]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈmelɑ/, [ˈme̞ɫɑˑ]
• Rhymes: -elɑ
• Hyphenation: me‧la

mela

1. chalk

Declension of mela (type 3/kana, no gradation, gemination)
	singular	plural
nominative	mela	melat
genitive	melan	melloin
partitive	mellaa	meloja
illative	mellaa	melloi
inessive	melas	melois
elative	melast	meloist
allative	melalle	meloille
adessive	melal	meloil
ablative	melalt	meloilt
translative	melaks	meloiks
essive	melanna, mellaan	meloinna, melloin
exessive1)	melant	meloint
1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

• Fedor Tumansky (1790), “мѣла”, in Опытъ повѣствованїя о дѣянїях, положенїи, состоянїи и раздѣленїи Санкт-Петербургской губернїи [An experiment of an account of the acts, location, condition and division of the Saint Petersburg gubernia], Краткїй словарь ижерскаго, финскаго, эстонскаго, чюдскаго, и ямскаго нарѣчїя съ россїйскимъ переводомъ [A short dictionary of the Ingrian, Finnish, Estonian, Chud and Yamtian dialects with a Russian translation], page 685
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 304

Inherited from Late Latin mēla, from mēlum, from Latin mālum, likely from Doric Greek μᾶλον (mâlon, “apple”); compare Attic μῆλον (mêlon).

• IPA^(key): /ˈme.la/

• Audio “una mela”:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ela
• Hyphenation: mé‧la

mela f (plural mele, diminutive melétta or melìna, augmentative melóna, pejorative melàccia, endearing-derogatory melùccia or melùzza)

1. apple (fruit)

   Synonym: pomo

2. (colloquial, slang) buttock, butt cheek

• mela cotogna (“quince”)
• mela della discordia (“apple of discord”)
• mela librale (“type of large apple”)
• mela selvatica (“crab apple”)
• succiamele (“broomrape”)

• melagrana
• melata
• meleto
• melo
• melone

• alme, lame, male

Regional variants of mela

North Karelian (Viena)	mela
South Karelian (Tver)	mela

From Proto-Finnic *mëla. Cognates include Finnish mela and Veps mela.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmelɑ/
• Hyphenation: me‧la

mela (genitive melan, partitive melua)

1. (North Karelian) stern paddle; scull
2. (South Karelian) wooden spatula for mixing

Viena Karelian declension of mela (type 4/kala, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	mela	melat
genitive	melan	melojen
partitive	melua	meloja
illative	melah	meloih
inessive	melašša	meloissa
elative	melašta	meloista
adessive	melalla	meloilla
ablative	melalta	meloilta
translative	melakši	meloiksi
essive	melana	meloina
comitative	—	meloineh
abessive	melatta	meloitta
prolative	—	—
instructive	—	meloin

Tver Karelian declension of mela (type 4/kala no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	mela	melat
genitive	melan	meloin
partitive	melua	meloida
illative	melah	meloih
inessive	melašša	meloissa
elative	melašta	meloista
adessive	melalla	meloilla
ablative	melalda	meloilda
translative	melakši	meloiksi
essive	melana	meloina
comitative	melanke	meloinke
abessive	melatta	meloitta
prolative	melačči	meloičči
instructive	—	meloin

Possessive forms of mela
1st person	melani
2nd person	melaš
3rd person	melah
*) Possessive forms are very rare for adjectives and only used in substantivised clauses.

• A. V. Punzhina (1994), “mela”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects)], →ISBN
• P. Zaykov; L. Rugoyeva (1999), “mela”, in Карельско-Русский словарь (Северно-Карельские диалекты) [Karelian-Russian dictionary (North Karelian dialects)], Petrozavodsk, →ISBN
• Pertti Virtaranta; Raija Koponen (2009), “mela”, in Marja Torikka, editor, Karjalan kielen sanakirja‎^[4], Helsinki: Kotus, →ISSN

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

mēla

1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of mēlum

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

-mela (infinitive komela)

1. to cross (a river)

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛ.la/
• Rhymes: -ɛla

From Arabic بَلَى (balā, “why, certainly!, yes, of course!”), in dialects also with prefixed m-. Compare Tunisian Arabic مِالَا (mēlə), South Levantine Arabic مبلا (mbala) and Gulf Arabic امبلة (ambala).

mela

1. certainly
2. thus; so; accordingly

mela

1. so; okay; all right

   Alternative form: mmela

   Mela, ħa nibdew! ― So, let's start!

From Arabic مَلَأَ (malaʔa), أَمْلَأَ (ʔamlaʔa).

mela (imperfect jimla, past participle mimli, verbal noun mili)

1. (transitive) to fill, to stuff
   • 1970, Anton Buttigieg, “Fil-Ġnien”, in Fl-Arena:

     Ta’ ferħ u serħ imlietni, u bħall-għasafar
     u l-friefet jien għamilt: minn fjur għal fjur
     ħsiebi tar bħal farfett, taħt siġra kbira
     qalbi fesdqet il-għana bħal għasfur.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (intransitive, of the sea) to rise, to flood

   Antonym: forogħ

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛ.la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛla
• Syllabification: me‧la

mela

1. third-person singular present of melać

mela

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

From Late Latin mēla, from mēlum, from Latin mālum.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmela/

mela f (plural melas)

1. apple (fruit)

• (Castelsardo) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛla/^[1]
• IPA^(key): (Sedini) /ˈmela/^[1]

mela f (plural meli)

1. (dialectal) alternative form of mera (“apple”)

Borrowed from German Mehl, adapted with the feminine suffix -a.

mela f (Cyrillic spelling мела)

1. (Kajkavian) flour

• brašno

mela (Cyrillic spelling мела)

1. inflection of mesti:
   1. feminine singular active past participle
   2. neuter plural active past participle

• “mela”, in Rječnik hrvatskoga kajkavskoga književnog jezika [Dictionary of the Croatian Kajkavian literary language] (in Serbo-Croatian), https://kajkavski.hr, 1984–2026

• IPA^(key): /ˈmela/ [ˈme.la]
• Rhymes: -ela
• Syllabification: me‧la

mela f (plural melas)

1. smitt; smit

• “mela”, 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

From Proto-Finnic *mëla.

mela

1. paddle (rowing tool)

Inflection of mela (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	mela
genitive sing.	melan
partitive sing.	melad
partitive plur.	meloid
	singular	plural
nominative	mela	melad
accusative	melan	melad
genitive	melan	meloiden
partitive	melad	meloid
essive-instructive	melan	meloin
translative	melaks	meloikš
inessive	melas	meloiš
elative	melaspäi	meloišpäi
illative	melaha melha	meloihe
adessive	melal	meloil
ablative	melalpäi	meloilpäi
allative	melale	meloile
abessive	melata	meloita
comitative	melanke	meloidenke
prolative	meladme	meloidme
approximative I	melanno	meloidenno
approximative II	melannoks	meloidennoks
egressive	melannopäi	meloidennopäi
terminative I	melahasai melhasai	meloihesai
terminative II	melalesai	meloilesai
terminative III	melassai	—
additive I	melahapäi melhapäi	meloihepäi
additive II	melalepäi	meloilepäi

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “весло”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[5], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

From mêl (“honey”) +‎ -a. Cognate with Cornish mela.

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛla/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmeːla/, /ˈmɛla/
• Rhymes: -ɛla

mela (first-person singular present melaf)

1. to gather nectar to make honey
2. to sweeten with honey

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “mela”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

mela

1. where^[1]
   • "Kūlindat mela?" - "Men - where?"^[1]

• wintha (“what”)
• intoorring (“where, whereabouts”)
• narooe (“when”)
• ela (“who”)
• ain-ing-tali (“why”)
• inongo (“whence”)
• ining-jak (“what”)
• either (“whither”)

Wolaytta numbers ^(edit)

		0	1  →	10  →
Cardinal: mela

mela

1. zero

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

-mela^?

1. (transitive) to stand for

This verb needs an inflection-table template.