dal

¹

or dhal, daal

[ dahl ]

noun

1. dried and often split legumes, especially lentils or peas.
2. a sauce or dish made from cooked lentils and spices, common in South Asian cuisine.

dal

²

abbreviation for

1. dekaliter; dekaliters.

dāl

³

[ dahl ]

noun

1. the eighth letter of the Arabic alphabet.

Dal

⁴

[ dahl ]

noun

1. a river in S Sweden, flowing SE from the W border to the Gulf of Bothnia. About 250 miles (405 km) long.

dal

¹

symbol for

1. decalitre(s)

dal

²

/ dɑːl /

noun

1. split grain, a common foodstuff in India; pulse
2. a variant spelling of dhal

Word History and Origins

Origin of dal¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Hindi dāl “split pulse, cooked pulse,” from Sanskrit dala, from dāl- “to split”

Origin of dal²

From Arabic

Example Sentences

One crowd pleaser happened to be totally vegan: a red lentil dal served with coconut rice.

From Salon

I opted for stews and soups infused with spices such as ginger, turmeric and cinnamon, particularly Harrington’s red lentil dal recipe.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ll make that with maybe some flatbreads or naan and a yogurt dip on the side, then some sort of dal.

From Los Angeles Times

To make dal feels like an alchemical feat, watching the pebbly lentils turn creamy, starchy and golden with turmeric.

From Seattle Times

One man admitted that he bought up a lot of land "in exchange for rice and dal or a little money".

From BBC