γάλα

See also: Appendix:Variations of "gala"

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• γλάγος (glágos)

Etymology

Possibly inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gláktn̥ (“milk”) (compare Latin lact, Old Armenian կաթն (katʻn), Albanian dhallë), earlier *glákt (or, if the Hittite cognate is valid, *gláktr̥), perhaps from a root *glag- +‎ *-tr̥, but the phonetic irregularities, presence of *a, and Mediterranean distribution of this word have cast doubt on its existence in PIE. Instead, it may have been borrowed from an agricultural wanderword related to or descended from Hittite 𒂵𒌨𒋻 (galaktar, “soothing substance, nutrient”), itself possibly derived from 𒅗𒆷𒀭𒃰𒁺 (galank-, “to soothe”), from Proto-Indo-European *gleǵʰ- (“soft, weak”); cf. Bulgarian гле́зя (glézja, “to pamper”). However, Beekes doubts that there is any connection with the Hittite.

The variant γλάγος (glágos) was contracted from the second oblique stem.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ɡá.la/ → /ˈɣa.la/ → /ˈɣa.la/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ɡá.la/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈɡa.la/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣa.la/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈɣa.la/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈɣa.la/

Noun

γᾰ́λᾰ • (gắlă) n (genitive γᾰ́λᾰκτος or γᾰ́λᾰκος); third declension

1. milk
2. milky sap
3. the Milky Way galaxy

Usage notes

Sometimes indeclinable.

Inflection

Third declension of τὸ γᾰ́λᾰ; τοῦ γᾰ́λᾰκτος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ γᾰ́λᾰ tò gắlă	τὼ γᾰ́λᾰκτε tṑ gắlăkte	τᾰ̀ γᾰ́λᾰκτᾰ tằ gắlăktă
Genitive	τοῦ γᾰ́λᾰκτος toû gắlăktos	τοῖν γᾰλᾰ́κτοιν toîn gălắktoin	τῶν γᾰλᾰ́κτων tôn gălắktōn
Dative	τῷ γᾰ́λᾰκτῐ tôi gắlăktĭ	τοῖν γᾰλᾰ́κτοιν toîn gălắktoin	τοῖς γᾰ́λᾰξῐ / γᾰ́λᾰξῐν toîs gắlăxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ γᾰ́λᾰ tò gắlă	τὼ γᾰ́λᾰκτε tṑ gắlăkte	τᾰ̀ γᾰ́λᾰκτᾰ tằ gắlăktă
Vocative	γᾰ́λᾰ gắlă	γᾰ́λᾰκτε gắlăkte	γᾰ́λᾰκτᾰ gắlăktă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Third declension of τὸ γᾰ́λᾰ; τοῦ γᾰ́λᾰκος (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ γᾰ́λᾰ tò gắlă	τὼ γᾰ́λᾰκε tṑ gắlăke	τᾰ̀ γᾰ́λᾰκᾰ tằ gắlăkă
Genitive	τοῦ γᾰ́λᾰκος toû gắlăkos	τοῖν γᾰλᾰ́κοιν toîn gălắkoin	τῶν γᾰλᾰ́κων tôn gălắkōn
Dative	τῷ γᾰ́λᾰκῐ tôi gắlăkĭ	τοῖν γᾰλᾰ́κοιν toîn gălắkoin	τοῖς γᾰ́λᾰῐ / γᾰ́λᾰῐν / γᾰ́λᾰξῐ / γᾰ́λᾰξῐν toîs gắlăĭ(n) / gắlăxĭ(n)
Accusative	τὸ γᾰ́λᾰ tò gắlă	τὼ γᾰ́λᾰκε tṑ gắlăke	τᾰ̀ γᾰ́λᾰκᾰ tằ gắlăkă
Vocative	γᾰ́λᾰ gắlă	γᾰ́λᾰκε gắlăke	γᾰ́λᾰκᾰ gắlăkă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• γαλακτικός (galaktikós)
• γαλάκτινος (galáktinos)
• γαλάκτιον (galáktion)
• γαλακτοφάγος (galaktophágos)
• γαλαξίας (galaxías)
• γλαγάω (glagáō)
• ὀξύγαλα (oxúgala)

Descendants

• Greek: γάλα (gála)
• Mariupol Greek: га́ла (hála)

Further reading

• “γάλα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “γάλα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “γάλα”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• γάλα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• γάλα in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• γάλα in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
• “γάλα”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G1051 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • milla idem, page 529.

Greek

Etymology

From Ancient Greek γάλα (gála), from Proto-Indo-European *glakt-, *galakt-.

Cognate with Mariupol Greek га́ла (hála).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɣala]
• Hyphenation: γά‧λα

Noun

γάλα • (gála) n (plural γάλατα)

1. milk

   κατσικίσιο γάλα ― katsikísio gála ― goat's milk

Declension

Declension of γάλα

	singular	plural
nominative	γάλα (gála)	γάλατα (gálata)
genitive	γάλακτος (gálaktos)	-
accusative	γάλα (gála)	γάλατα (gálata)
vocative	γάλα (gála)	γάλατα (gálata)

There is a rare genitive singular γάλατος (gálatos) and the genitive plural γαλάτων (galáton) is uncommon

Coordinate terms

• μιλκ σέικ n (milk séik, “milkshake”)
• εβαπορέ n (evaporé, “evaporated milk”)

Related terms

• βουτυρόγαλα f (voutyrógala, “buttermilk”)
• γαλακτοπωλείο n (galaktopoleío, “dairy”)
• γαλατάδικο n (galatádiko, “dairy”)
• γαλατάς m (galatás, “milkman”)
• κρέμα γάλακτος f (kréma gálaktos, “dairy cream”)
• πρωτόγαλα f (protógala, “colostrum”)
• σκονόγαλα f (skonógala, “powdered milk”)
• συμπυκνωμένο γάλα f (sympyknoméno gála, “condensed milk”)

Further reading

• γάλα, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language