dried and often split legumes, especially lentils or peas.
a sauce or dish made from cooked lentils and spices, common in South Asian cuisine.
split grain, a common foodstuff in India; pulse
a variant spelling of dhal
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Hindi dāl “split pulse, cooked pulse,” from Sanskrit dala, from dāl- “to split”
From Arabic
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.
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And there’s dal makhani, a North Indian dish that calls for black lentils, kidney beans and cream, and is typically enjoyed with rice.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
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
Whether that means making a big pot of red lentil dal to sustain me throughout my overscheduled weeks or joining family and friends to commune in grief and regret while also holding space for hope.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024
When it was done, Rashid Uncle took out five bowls, and I spooned rice and dal into four of them and then one with just rice.
From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani
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
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 Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)
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
The Walkers did approach another Pwllheli-based Welsh language bookshop with copies of How Not To Dal Dy Dir, and that bookshop stocked five copies of the novel.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
It is estimated there were only a few copies of the book How Not to Dal Dy Dir printed, with copies difficult to track to down.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
Dal Babu, a former Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent, told BBC News that by arresting the King's brother, officers will be able to "to access computer equipment, files, photographs, any other evidence".
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
Three span ago, Dal had started making us compete against each other.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
