dal

¹ American  

[dahl] / dɑl /

Or dhal,

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.

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dal ² American  

abbreviation

1. dekaliter; dekaliters.

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dāl ³ American  

[dahl] / dɑl /

noun

1. the eighth letter of the Arabic alphabet.

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Dal ⁴ American  

[dahl] / dɑl /

noun

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

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dal ¹ British  

/ dɑːl /

noun

1. split grain, a common foodstuff in India; pulse

2. a variant spelling of dhal

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dal ² British  

symbol

1. decalitre(s)

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Etymology

Origin of dal¹

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

Origin of dāl³

From Arabic

Example Sentences

Theo dal Pozzo, 23, has a first class master's degree in computer science.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Bone Sine in Portland, Ore., flecks its mix of nuts and chana dal with ground lime leaves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

One of her earliest memories of food dates back to her infancy spent in Cameroon, when her mother fed her bowls of dal chawal, or lentils and rice.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025

I love the sizzle of the hot, spiced ghee when it is poured into the lentils, the way that dal envelops a bowl of rice like a hug.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2024

She makes sure to prepare his favorite things: lamb curry with lots of potatoes, luchis, thick channa dal with swollen brown raisins, pineapple chutney, sandeshes molded out of saffron-tinted ricotta cheese.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri