mahallah

English

Alternative forms

• mahalla, mahallya, mohalla, muhalla

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindustani محلہ / मुहल्ला (muhallā), from Classical Persian محله (mahalla), from Arabic مَحَلَّة (maḥalla).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /məˈhalə/

Noun

mahallah (plural mahallahs)

1. (chiefly South Asia) A subdivision or neighborhood.
   • 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 483:

     ‘His Majesty signed the search warrant. We are combing the third muhalla now.’

   • 2023, Radhika Iyengar, Fire on the Ganges, Fourth Estate, page 63:

     When she was young, Dolly was considered the most beautiful girl in the mohalla.