mahala
1
9.9
- noun
- UK
:
mahala
- Austin grew stronger under their care, while one of the mahalas (Indian woman, from the Spanish mujer) nursed Ruth along with her own child.
Examples
-
The contemporary mahala dancing is popular, as it is quite generally throughout Romania, although it is strongly identified as Romani in origin and character (Giurchescu 2011).
Academic text (2016) -
My family had, for the most part, lived in the same little mahala (neighborhood) for more hundreds of years than anyone really knows.
Blog text (17) -
Siphiwo Mahala ("The Suit Continued" 10) is from Grahamstown, South Africa.
Academic text (2009) -
The vibrant market in the old mahala bustled with activity as vendors shouted their wares.
-
She grew up in a mahala where neighbors knew each other and shared everything.
-
After moving to the mahala, he quickly felt at home among the friendly locals.
Synonyms
∞
1.8
An area in a town or city where people live near each other
∞
1.5
An area of a town or city used for local government
2
7.9
A neighborhood in a city, often in Spanish-speaking countries
1
3.1
An area of a town or city with mostly houses and apartments
1
2.8
A part of a city, like a neighbourhood, used for local government or shown on maps
An area that a police station covers
An area of land used for tax and local government in the past in South Asia
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mahala comes from the Arabic mahalla, which means 'place' and then came into Turkish and South Asian languages as a word for a small local area. So, a mahala today is a neighborhood or district where people live close together and share local life.