वाल

Pali

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• vāla (Latin script)
• 𑀯𑀸𑀮 (Brahmi script)
• ৰাল (Bengali script)
• වාල (Sinhalese script)
• ဝါလ or ဝႃလ (Burmese script)
• วาล or วาละ (Thai script)
• ᩅᩤᩃ (Tai Tham script)
• ວາລ or ວາລະ (Lao script)
• វាល (Khmer script)
• 𑅇𑄂𑄣 (Chakma script)

Alternative scripts

• bāla (Latin script)
• 𑀩𑀸𑀮 (Brahmi script)
• बाल (Devanagari script)
• বাল (Bengali script)
• බාල (Sinhalese script)
• ဗာလ or ၿႃလ (Burmese script)
• พาล or พาละ (Thai script)
• ᨻᩣᩃ (Tai Tham script)
• ພາລ or ພາລະ (Lao script)
• ពាល (Khmer script)
• 𑄝𑄂𑄣 (Chakma script)

Noun

वाल m

1. Devanagari script form of vāla (“hair”)

Declension

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	वालो (vālo)	वाला (vālā)
Accusative (second)	वालं (vālaṃ)	वाले (vāle)
Instrumental (third)	वालेन (vālena)	वालेहि (vālehi) or वालेभि (vālebhi)
Dative (fourth)	वालस्स (vālassa) or वालाय (vālāya) or वालत्थं (vālatthaṃ)	वालानं (vālānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	वालस्मा (vālasmā) or वालम्हा (vālamhā) or वाला (vālā)	वालेहि (vālehi) or वालेभि (vālebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	वालस्स (vālassa)	वालानं (vālānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	वालस्मिं (vālasmiṃ) or वालम्हि (vālamhi) or वाले (vāle)	वालेसु (vālesu)
Vocative (calling)	वाल (vāla)	वाला (vālā)

Declension table of "वाल" (masculine)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• vāla (Latin script)
• 𑀯𑀸𑀮 (Brahmi script)
• ৰাল (Bengali script)
• වාල (Sinhalese script)
• ဝါလ or ဝႃလ (Burmese script)
• วาล or วาละ (Thai script)
• ᩅᩤᩃ (Tai Tham script)
• ວາລ or ວາລະ (Lao script)
• វាល (Khmer script)
• 𑅇𑄂𑄣 (Chakma script)

Adjective

वाल

1. Devanagari script form of vāla (“malicious”)

Declension

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	वालो (vālo)	वाला (vālā)
Accusative (second)	वालं (vālaṃ)	वाले (vāle)
Instrumental (third)	वालेन (vālena)	वालेहि (vālehi) or वालेभि (vālebhi)
Dative (fourth)	वालस्स (vālassa) or वालाय (vālāya) or वालत्थं (vālatthaṃ)	वालानं (vālānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	वालस्मा (vālasmā) or वालम्हा (vālamhā) or वाला (vālā)	वालेहि (vālehi) or वालेभि (vālebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	वालस्स (vālassa)	वालानं (vālānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	वालस्मिं (vālasmiṃ) or वालम्हि (vālamhi) or वाले (vāle)	वालेसु (vālesu)
Vocative (calling)	वाल (vāla)	वाला (vālā)

Declension table of "वाल" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	वालं (vālaṃ)	वालानि (vālāni)
Accusative (second)	वालं (vālaṃ)	वालानि (vālāni)
Instrumental (third)	वालेन (vālena)	वालेहि (vālehi) or वालेभि (vālebhi)
Dative (fourth)	वालस्स (vālassa) or वालाय (vālāya) or वालत्थं (vālatthaṃ)	वालानं (vālānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	वालस्मा (vālasmā) or वालम्हा (vālamhā) or वाला (vālā)	वालेहि (vālehi) or वालेभि (vālebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	वालस्स (vālassa)	वालानं (vālānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	वालस्मिं (vālasmiṃ) or वालम्हि (vālamhi) or वाले (vāle)	वालेसु (vālesu)
Vocative (calling)	वाल (vāla)	वालानि (vālāni)

Declension table of "वाल" (neuter)

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• बाल (bāla), वार (vā́ra) — Vedic

Etymology

Uncertain; possibly cognate with Lithuanian valaĩ (“hair of the tail”), if so from Proto-Indo-European *ul (“the tail”), Cognate with Latin *ulos (“tail”) (attested in adūlor), presumably from Proto-Indo-Aryan *wālás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wālás, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to turn”).^[1] Further suggested to be related to Latin adūlor. Possibly of Austroasiatic origin according to Przyluski, compare Vietnamese vải (“cotton”), Lao ຝ້າຍ (fāi, “cotton”) (a borrowing from Vietic). However the proper Proto-Austronesian root is *k-rn-pas, whence Sanskrit कर्पास (through Munda), so this hypothesis is untenable.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋɑː.l̪ɐ/

Noun

वाल • (vāla) stem, m

1. the tail of an animal
2. the hair of the tail
3. any hair of an animal
4. bristles

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of वाल (vāla)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वालः vālaḥ	वालौ / वाला¹ vālau / vālā¹	वालाः / वालासः¹ vālāḥ / vālāsaḥ¹
Vocative	वाल vāla	वालौ / वाला¹ vālau / vālā¹	वालाः / वालासः¹ vālāḥ / vālāsaḥ¹
Accusative	वालम् vālam	वालौ / वाला¹ vālau / vālā¹	वालान् vālān
Instrumental	वालेन vālena	वालाभ्याम् vālābhyām	वालैः / वालेभिः¹ vālaiḥ / vālebhiḥ¹
Dative	वालाय vālāya	वालाभ्याम् vālābhyām	वालेभ्यः vālebhyaḥ
Ablative	वालात् vālāt	वालाभ्याम् vālābhyām	वालेभ्यः vālebhyaḥ
Genitive	वालस्य vālasya	वालयोः vālayoḥ	वालानाम् vālānām
Locative	वाले vāle	वालयोः vālayoḥ	वालेषु vāleṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Magadhi Prakrit:
  • Assamese: বাল (bal, “pubic hair”)
  • Bengali: বাল (bal, “pubic hair”)
  • Bhojpuri: 𑂥𑂰𑂩 (pubic hair, hair)
  • Magahi: 𑂥𑂰𑂩 (bār)
• Dhivehi: ބޯ, ބޮލު (bō, bolu, “head or hair”)
• Gujarati: વાળ (vāḷ, “hair”)
• Hindi: बाल (bāl, “hair”)
• Kashmiri: وال (vāl, “hair”)
• Pali: vāla (“tail, tail hair”)
  • → Khmer: វាល (viəlĕəʼ, “hair”)
  • → Thai: พาล (paan, “body hair”)
• Punjabi: (“hair”) وال (vāl) / ਵਾਲ (vāl)
• Romani: bal (“hair”)
• Saraiki: وال (vāl, “hair”)
• Urdu: بال (bāl)
• →? Kannada: ಬಾಲ (bāla, “tail”) (probably)
• → Tamil: வால் (vāl)

References

1. Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “vā́ra-¹”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 545