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

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

I’ll make that with maybe some flatbreads or naan and a yogurt dip on the side, then some sort of dal.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2024

After a good blaze got going, we warmed our dinner on it, more roti and dal.

From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani