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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

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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

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 opted for stews and soups infused with spices such as ginger, turmeric and cinnamon, particularly Harrington’s red lentil dal recipe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024

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

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 R. V. (Robert Vane) Russell

Nine police cases followed - seven against worshippers or prayer organisers, and two against members of the Hindu nationalist group Bajrang Dal.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Ben Aitchison was lbw playing across the line before Anuj Dal was bowled by a beauty that dipped in late to beat his defensive push.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Stokes inevitably struck with his first ball, Brooke Guest top-edging a pull, Dal was lbw to the next and although Aitchison survived the hat-trick ball, he then edged a drive to first slip.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Punjab's three main opposition parties - the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP - accuse the AAP government of rushing the law through the assembly without properly consulting Sikh religious institutions.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Dal gave me a look that told me he might suspect the truth.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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