lila
noun
creation, seen as the playful activity of a god.
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lila
1 American
[lee-lah]
/ ˈli lɑ /
noun
Hinduism.
Lila
2
American
[lahy-luh]
/ ˈlaɪ lə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of lila
First recorded in 1820–30, lila is from the Sanskrit word līlā play, sport, diversion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Sanskrit title derives from two words: turanga, meaning flowing time, movement or rhythm; and lila, or love, sport, the play of the gods.
From Time Magazine Archive
Now, as I have already said, the great chief of Mbau, Mbanuve, died of the lila, and was thereafter known as Mbale-i-vavalangi—the victim of the foreign disease.
From The Fijians A Study of the Decay of Custom by Basil Thomson
It is not certain that this was the only visitation of the epidemic called lila.
From The Fijians A Study of the Decay of Custom by Basil Thomson
Its origin, however, is Sumerian, from /lila/, regarded as meaning "mist."
From The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria by Theophilus Goldridge Pinches
The /lilu/, in Sumerian /lila/, is generally regarded as "the night-monster," the word being referred to the Semitic root /lîl/ or /layl/, whence the Hebrew /layil/, Arabic /layl/, "night."
From The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria by Theophilus Goldridge Pinches
“He didn’t say he hated Trump,” interjected his wife Lila Trask, 79, who thinks the teacher is sincere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
"My plea to the international community is -- this is the time to help Nepal," UN country chief Lila Pieters Yahia told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal, said drinking water was being airlifted into affected areas.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
"Although she was young, Lila was over 21 kg before she passed away," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Lila is Peruvian American and Marisol is Cuban American, and they are literally the best of friends.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
