वेला

See also: वेलू, वाला, वल, वली, वाले, -वाले, and -वाला

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• velā (Latin script)
• 𑀯𑁂𑀮𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ৰেলা (Bengali script)
• වෙලා (Sinhalese script)
• ဝေလာ or ဝေလႃ (Burmese script)
• เวลา (Thai script)
• ᩅᩮᩃᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• ເວລາ (Lao script)
• វេលា (Khmer script)
• 𑅇𑄬𑄣𑄂 (Chakma script)

Noun

वेला f

1. Devanagari script form of velā (“time”)

Declension

Declension table of "वेला" (feminine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	वेला (velā)	वेलायो (velāyo) or वेला (velā)
Accusative (second)	वेलं (velaṃ)	वेलायो (velāyo) or वेला (velā)
Instrumental (third)	वेलाय (velāya)	वेलाहि (velāhi) or वेलाभि (velābhi)
Dative (fourth)	वेलाय (velāya)	वेलानं (velānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	वेलाय (velāya)	वेलाहि (velāhi) or वेलाभि (velābhi)
Genitive (sixth)	वेलाय (velāya)	वेलानं (velānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	वेलाय (velāya) or वेलायं (velāyaṃ)	वेलासु (velāsu)
Vocative (calling)	वेले (vele)	वेलायो (velāyo) or वेला (velā)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৱেলা (Assamese script)
• ᬯᬾᬮᬵ (Balinese script)
• বেলা (Bengali script)
• 𑰪𑰸𑰩𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀯𑁂𑀮𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဝေလာ (Burmese script)
• વેલા (Gujarati script)
• ਵੇਲਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌵𑍇𑌲𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦮꦺꦭꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂫𑂵𑂪𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ವೇಲಾ (Kannada script)
• វេលា (Khmer script)
• ເວລາ (Lao script)
• വേലാ (Malayalam script)
• ᠸᡝᠯᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘪𑘹𑘩𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠸᠧᠯᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧊𑧚𑧉𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐰𑐾𑐮𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଵେଲା (Odia script)
• ꢮꢾꢭꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆮𑆼𑆬𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖪𑖸𑖩𑖯 (Siddham script)
• වෙලා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩾𑩔𑩽𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚦𑚲𑚥𑚭 (Takri script)
• வேலா (Tamil script)
• వేలా (Telugu script)
• เวลา (Thai script)
• ཝེ་ལཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒫𑒹𑒪𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨭𑨄𑨬𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of unclear origin. Often thought to be borrowed from Dravidian. Descendants show l ~ r ~ ḍ variation or derive from an unattested variant *वीली (vīlī).

However, Mayrhofer considers the Dravidian terms to be borrowed from Indo-Aryan rather than vice versa, likely due to the word's presence in Vedic texts, and presents two possible etymologies:

1. Derived from वर्त्मन् (vartman, “track, course”) through a series of sound changes: वर्त्मन् (vartman) > *वृत्मा (vṛtmā) > *वेट्टा (veṭṭā) / *विट्टा (viṭṭā) > वेड (veḍa) > वेला (velā). Compare Old Church Slavonic врѣмѧ (vrěmę, “time”), which would be an exact semantic and etymological match. This is considered by Mayrhofer to be semantically appealing, but phonetically bold.

2. From Proto-Indo-Iranian *waižd- (“to raise”), itself of uncertain origin. Perhaps a distortion of Proto-Indo-European *wyedʰ- (“to shoot, take aim, hit, wound”) (see व्यध् (vyadh, “to pierce”) for more). Alternatively, a compound of an Indo-Iranian root (whose origins cannot be traced back to Proto-Indo-European) that also gave rise to वेष् (veṣ, “to work, accomplish, execute”) + Proto-Indo-Iranian *dʰaH- (“to put, place”), itself from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put, place”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ʋɐj.lɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈʋeː.l̪ɑː/

Noun

वेला • (vélā) stem, f

1. time
2. time of day, occasion, interval
3. tide
4. boundary, threshold, limit, limen
5. coast, shore

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of वेला (vélā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	वेला vélā	वेले véle	वेलाः vélāḥ
Vocative	वेले véle	वेले véle	वेलाः vélāḥ
Accusative	वेलाम् vélām	वेले véle	वेलाः vélāḥ
Instrumental	वेलया / वेला¹ vélayā / vélā¹	वेलाभ्याम् vélābhyām	वेलाभिः vélābhiḥ
Dative	वेलायै vélāyai	वेलाभ्याम् vélābhyām	वेलाभ्यः vélābhyaḥ
Ablative	वेलायाः / वेलायै² vélāyāḥ / vélāyai²	वेलाभ्याम् vélābhyām	वेलाभ्यः vélābhyaḥ
Genitive	वेलायाः / वेलायै² vélāyāḥ / vélāyai²	वेलयोः vélayoḥ	वेलानाम् vélānām
Locative	वेलायाम् vélāyām	वेलयोः vélayoḥ	वेलासु vélāsu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Derived terms

• *सवेल (savela, “in time, early”) (see there for further descendants)

Descendants

• Pali: velā
  • → Khmer: វេលា (veiliə)
  • → Thai: เวลา (wee-laa)
• Prakrit: 𑀯𑁂𑀮𑀸 (velā), 𑀯𑀻𑀮𑀻 (vīlī), *𑀯𑁂𑀭𑀸 (*verā), *𑀯𑁂𑀟𑀸 (*veḍā)
  • Assamese: বেলা (bela), বেলি (beli)
  • Bengali: বেলা (bela)
  • Malayalam: വേള (vēḷa)
  • Marathi: वेळ (veḷ)
  • Sylheti: ꠛꠦꠟꠣ (bela), ꠛꠣꠟꠣ (bala), ꠛꠦꠁꠟ (beil)
  • Punjabi: veḷā

    Gurmukhi script: ਵੇਲ਼ਾ

    Shahmukhi script: ویࣇا

• → Sinhalese: වේලාව (wēlāwa)
• → Kannada: ವೇಳೆ (vēḷe)
• → Tamil: வேளை (vēḷai)
• → Telugu: వేళ (vēḷa)
• → Indonesian: bila
• → Lao: ເວລາ (wē lā)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “वेला”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 1018/2-3.