होला

Mayrhofer considers this as possibly an onomatopoeic exclamation. He also raises the possibility, via the alternative form होलाका (holākā), of a relation to होलक (holaka, “half-ripe pulse cooked over a light fire”), with the original meaning presumably being "a special type of sweating over hot cow-dung ash".

Others derive the term further from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰaw-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- (“to pour”).

Pronunciation edit

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɦɐw.lɑː/
(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɦoː.l̪ɑː/

Noun edit

होला • (holā) stem, f

the Holi festival

Declension edit

Feminine ā-stem declension of होला (holā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	होला holā	होले hole	होलाः holāḥ
Vocative	होले hole	होले hole	होलाः holāḥ
Accusative	होलाम् holām	होले hole	होलाः holāḥ
Instrumental	होलया / होला¹ holayā / holā¹	होलाभ्याम् holābhyām	होलाभिः holābhiḥ
Dative	होलायै holāyai	होलाभ्याम् holābhyām	होलाभ्यः holābhyaḥ
Ablative	होलायाः / होलायै² holāyāḥ / holāyai²	होलाभ्याम् holābhyām	होलाभ्यः holābhyaḥ
Genitive	होलायाः / होलायै² holāyāḥ / holāyai²	होलयोः holayoḥ	होलानाम् holānām
Locative	होलायाम् holāyām	होलयोः holayoḥ	होलासु holāsu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

References edit

Monier Williams (1899) “होला”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1306/3.
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “hōlā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 3, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 547