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• dal
  dal

  noun

  dried and often split legumes, especially lentils or peas.
• dāl
  dāl

  noun

  the eighth letter of the Arabic alphabet.
• Dal
  Dal

  noun

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

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

Explanation

Dal is an Indian dish made using lentils and many delicious spices. Next time you go to an Indian restaurant, try ordering dal. The Hindi word dal can be used for any bean or legume that's split in half and can be cooked without soaking it first. Its Sanskrit root, also dal, means "to split." Dal is also the soup or stew made from split lentils, one of the most popular dishes in South Asia. A typical dal is made with onions, tomatoes, and whole spices fried in oil, and it is eaten with rice or a flat bread.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dal dāl Dal

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

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

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024

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

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2024

It frustrated me that they only had that one example of dal — it’s like our comfort food, the chicken soup of the subcontinent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

Tonight we had a quick dinner of paratha and dal, since most things are packed or given away.

From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani

Their local subdivisions are Leve and Karwa and many of them are also known as Dālia, because they made the dāl or pulse of Burhānpur, which had a great reputation under native rule.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV Kumhar-Yemkala by R. V. (Robert Vane) Russell

Dale, dāl, Dell, del, n. the low ground between hills: the valley through which a river flows.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Three days later, the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal held a protest in Uttar Pradesh state, demanding that the "cow protectors" be freed.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Then Anuj Dal was pinned lbw for a third-ball duck to leave Lancashire as warm favourites to win the game.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

Dal Pozzo has been on universal credit for six months and is trying to find work in computing but also hospitality.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

"I hope we can build on the success of the first series," added Huw Chiswell, the director of Dal y Mellt.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026

Out of class, Elxa Dal was charming, soft-spoken, and even a little ridiculous when the mood was on him.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss