Hindi

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Etymology

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From Sanskrit स्याल (syāla). Cognate with Marathi साडू (sāḍū).

Pronunciation

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  • (Delhi) IPA(key): /sɑː.lɑː/, [säː.läː]

Noun

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साला (sālām (feminine साली, Urdu spelling سالا)

  1. saala/sala: brother-in-law, wife's brother
    मेरे साले ने अपनी बहन को लिखा।
    mere sāle ne apnī bahan ko likhā.
    My brother-in-law wrote to his sister.
  2. (slang, vulgar, derogatory) (colloquially) saala/sala: a term of abuse, swear word
    अबे साले, तू इधर आ!
    abe sāle, tū idhar ā!
    Hey asshole, get over here!

Usage notes

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Commonly, साला (sālā) is used as an insult, with the implication being that you are sleeping with the insulted person's sister. Can be substituted as a generally insulting term for any person.

Declension

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References

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  • Bahri, Hardev (1989) “साला”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.
  • Platts, John T. (1884) “साला”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.

Nepali

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Etymology

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From Sanskrit स्याल (syāla). Cognate with Marathi साडू (sāḍū).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [sälä]
  • Phonetic Devanagari: साला

Noun

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साला (sālām

  1. wife's younger brother; brother-in-law
  2. (colloquial) a term of abuse, a swear word.; rascal

Declension

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Declension of साला
Singular Plural
nominative साला [sälä] सालाहरू [sälä̤ːɾu]
accusative सालालाई [säläläi] सालाहरूलाई [sälä̤ːɾuläi]
instrumental/ergative सालाले [säläle] सालाहरूले [sälä̤ːɾule]
dative सालालाई [säläläi] सालाहरूलाई [sälä̤ːɾuläi]
ablative सालाबाट [säläbäʈʌ] सालाहरूबाट [sälä̤ːɾubäʈʌ]
genitive सालाको [säläko] सालाहरूको [sälä̤ːɾuko]
locative सालामा [sälämä] सालाहरूमा [sälä̤ːɾumä]
Notes:
  • -को (-ko) becomes:
    • -का (-kā) when followed by a plural noun.
    • -की (-kī) when followed by a feminine noun.

Further reading

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  • साला”, in नेपाली बृहत् शब्दकोश (nepālī br̥hat śabdakoś) [Comprehensive Nepali Dictionary]‎[1], Kathmandu: Nepal Academy, 2018
  • Schmidt, Ruth L. (1993) “सालो”, in A Practical Dictionary of Modern Nepali, Ratna Sagar

Pali

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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साला f

  1. Devanagari script form of sālā (hall)

Declension

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