See la-la in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for la-la meaning in English (7.7kB)
{
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "lā"
},
"expansion": "Old English lā",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "el",
"2": "λαλαγε",
"t": "babble"
},
"expansion": "Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "lallen",
"t": "to babble"
},
"expansion": "German lallen (“to babble”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "blah blah"
},
"expansion": "blah blah",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Sounds used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā, a common exclamation, Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”). Compare also blah blah.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "la-la (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1876, Mrs. Hibbert Ware, “The Yule Gift”, in The New Monthly Magazine, volume IX, →OCLC, page 20",
"text": "Parker's play is only la-la; he is a low fellow, and as clownish in his manners as he is in his dress.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Of indifferent quality; so-so."
],
"id": "en-la-la-en-adj-MdOTczhX",
"links": [
[
"so-so",
"so-so#English"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
{
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "lā"
},
"expansion": "Old English lā",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "el",
"2": "λαλαγε",
"t": "babble"
},
"expansion": "Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "lallen",
"t": "to babble"
},
"expansion": "German lallen (“to babble”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "blah blah"
},
"expansion": "blah blah",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Sounds used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā, a common exclamation, Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”). Compare also blah blah.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "la-la-s",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "la-la-ing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "la-la-ed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "la-la-ed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "la-la-s",
"2": "la-la-ing",
"3": "la-la-ed"
},
"expansion": "la-la (third-person singular simple present la-la-s, present participle la-la-ing, simple past and past participle la-la-ed)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1999, Samuel R. Delany, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, New York: New York University Press, page 54",
"text": "\"When the Saints Go Marchin' In,\" and \"Jesus Loves Me,\" Arly in Spanish, me in English, as, in her orange robe in the wheelchair, her paralyzed arm belted with white Velcro into its fiberglass brace, Mom \"la-la-ed\" along.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly."
],
"id": "en-la-la-en-verb-XU2Wzydc",
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1969, Philip King, I'll Get my Man: A Farce, New York: French, →OCLC, page 64",
"text": "PETER immediately begins ‘La, la-ing’ ‘The Merry Widow’, pulls JOSEPHINE up into a dancing position and begins to waltz her clear of the screen then towards the french window",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics."
],
"id": "en-la-la-en-verb-MJWYfKsn",
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
{
"etymology_number": 2,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en"
},
"expansion": "Unknown",
"name": "unk"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la"
},
"expansion": "la",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Unknown. Compare la, an interjection used to introduce a statement or express emotion.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "la-las",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "la-la (plural la-las)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1897, “A fair hypothesis”, in Michiganensian, volume 1, →OCLC",
"text": "We all agreed he was wise, but we did want the worst way to see that girl. We were sure that she was a la-la from all Billy said.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad."
],
"id": "en-la-la-en-noun-1kDMpMVg",
"raw_glosses": [
"(slang, US) Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "97 3",
"sense": "something unusually good",
"word": "lollapalooza"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"slang"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "11 10 33 26 11 8",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Genitalia",
"orig": "en:Genitalia",
"parents": [
"Body parts",
"Reproduction",
"Sex",
"Body",
"Anatomy",
"Life",
"All topics",
"Human",
"Biology",
"Medicine",
"Nature",
"Fundamental",
"Sciences"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2009 May 23, “What they did next”, in Aol.co.uk, archived from the original on 2011-12-25",
"text": "Thankfully, other BB starlets have gone on to find work that doesn't involve pushing their la-las together for one-handed mags.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, Emma Rees, The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History, New York: Bloomsbury, page 27",
"text": "For a western woman’s entire life, from her first menstrual period to her death, her ‘la la’ is a moneymaking machine for the big businesses who want to cultivate her ‘lady garden’.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman."
],
"id": "en-la-la-en-noun-en:vagina",
"raw_glosses": [
"(slang) A woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman."
],
"senseid": [
"en:vagina"
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 100",
"sense": "vagina",
"word": "vagina"
}
],
"tags": [
"slang"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "model"
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
{
"etymology_number": 3,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nan-hbl",
"3": "啦啦",
"tr": "la-la"
},
"expansion": "Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la)",
"name": "bor"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "蜊",
"t": "clam",
"tr": "lâ"
},
"expansion": "蜊 (lâ, “clam”)",
"name": "zh-l"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la), from 蜊 (lâ, “clam”).",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "la-la (uncountable)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"extra": "clams",
"word": "la la"
}
],
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Malaysian English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Singapore English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "7 17 16 40 11 8",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "10 12 9 49 14 5",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "12 18 13 39 12 7",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Alternative form of la la (“clams”)"
],
"id": "en-la-la-en-noun-hY2HwWk9",
"links": [
[
"la la",
"la la#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(Singapore, Malaysia) Alternative form of la la (“clams”)"
],
"tags": [
"Malaysia",
"Singapore",
"alt-of",
"alternative",
"uncountable"
]
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English terms borrowed from Hokkien",
"English terms derived from Hokkien",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"English uncountable nouns",
"English verbs",
"en:Genitalia"
],
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "lā"
},
"expansion": "Old English lā",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "el",
"2": "λαλαγε",
"t": "babble"
},
"expansion": "Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "lallen",
"t": "to babble"
},
"expansion": "German lallen (“to babble”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "blah blah"
},
"expansion": "blah blah",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Sounds used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā, a common exclamation, Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”). Compare also blah blah.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "la-la (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1876, Mrs. Hibbert Ware, “The Yule Gift”, in The New Monthly Magazine, volume IX, →OCLC, page 20",
"text": "Parker's play is only la-la; he is a low fellow, and as clownish in his manners as he is in his dress.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Of indifferent quality; so-so."
],
"links": [
[
"so-so",
"so-so#English"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English terms borrowed from Hokkien",
"English terms derived from Hokkien",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"English uncountable nouns",
"English verbs",
"en:Genitalia"
],
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "lā"
},
"expansion": "Old English lā",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "el",
"2": "λαλαγε",
"t": "babble"
},
"expansion": "Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "lallen",
"t": "to babble"
},
"expansion": "German lallen (“to babble”)",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "blah blah"
},
"expansion": "blah blah",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Sounds used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā, a common exclamation, Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”). Compare also blah blah.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "la-la-s",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "la-la-ing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "la-la-ed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "la-la-ed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "la-la-s",
"2": "la-la-ing",
"3": "la-la-ed"
},
"expansion": "la-la (third-person singular simple present la-la-s, present participle la-la-ing, simple past and past participle la-la-ed)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1999, Samuel R. Delany, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, New York: New York University Press, page 54",
"text": "\"When the Saints Go Marchin' In,\" and \"Jesus Loves Me,\" Arly in Spanish, me in English, as, in her orange robe in the wheelchair, her paralyzed arm belted with white Velcro into its fiberglass brace, Mom \"la-la-ed\" along.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) To sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1969, Philip King, I'll Get my Man: A Farce, New York: French, →OCLC, page 64",
"text": "PETER immediately begins ‘La, la-ing’ ‘The Merry Widow’, pulls JOSEPHINE up into a dancing position and begins to waltz her clear of the screen then towards the french window",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English terms borrowed from Hokkien",
"English terms derived from Hokkien",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"English uncountable nouns",
"en:Genitalia"
],
"etymology_number": 2,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en"
},
"expansion": "Unknown",
"name": "unk"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la"
},
"expansion": "la",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Unknown. Compare la, an interjection used to introduce a statement or express emotion.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "la-las",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "la-la (plural la-las)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"English slang",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1897, “A fair hypothesis”, in Michiganensian, volume 1, →OCLC",
"text": "We all agreed he was wise, but we did want the worst way to see that girl. We were sure that she was a la-la from all Billy said.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(slang, US) Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"slang"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English slang",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2009 May 23, “What they did next”, in Aol.co.uk, archived from the original on 2011-12-25",
"text": "Thankfully, other BB starlets have gone on to find work that doesn't involve pushing their la-las together for one-handed mags.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, Emma Rees, The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History, New York: Bloomsbury, page 27",
"text": "For a western woman’s entire life, from her first menstrual period to her death, her ‘la la’ is a moneymaking machine for the big businesses who want to cultivate her ‘lady garden’.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(slang) A woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman."
],
"senseid": [
"en:vagina"
],
"tags": [
"slang"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "something unusually good",
"word": "lollapalooza"
},
{
"word": "model"
},
{
"sense": "vagina",
"word": "vagina"
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English terms borrowed from Hokkien",
"English terms derived from Hokkien",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English uncountable nouns",
"en:Genitalia"
],
"etymology_number": 3,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nan-hbl",
"3": "啦啦",
"tr": "la-la"
},
"expansion": "Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la)",
"name": "bor"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "蜊",
"t": "clam",
"tr": "lâ"
},
"expansion": "蜊 (lâ, “clam”)",
"name": "zh-l"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la), from 蜊 (lâ, “clam”).",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "la-la (uncountable)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"alt_of": [
{
"extra": "clams",
"word": "la la"
}
],
"categories": [
"Malaysian English",
"Singapore English"
],
"glosses": [
"Alternative form of la la (“clams”)"
],
"links": [
[
"la la",
"la la#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(Singapore, Malaysia) Alternative form of la la (“clams”)"
],
"tags": [
"Malaysia",
"Singapore",
"alt-of",
"alternative",
"uncountable"
]
}
],
"word": "la-la"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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