bál

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bal"

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbaːl]
• Rhymes: -aːl

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Ball.

Noun

bál m inan

1. ball (formal dance)

   Synonym: ples

Declension

Declension of bál (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	bál	bály
genitive	bálu	bálů
dative	bálu	bálům
accusative	bál	bály
vocative	bále	bály
locative	bále, bálu	bálech
instrumental	bálem	bály

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Participle

bál

1. masculine singular past active participle of bát

Further reading

• “bál”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “bál”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “bál”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse bál (whence the Danish bål (“bonfire, pyre”), Norwegian bål and Swedish bål (“pyre, bonfire”)) from Proto-Germanic *bēlą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with the Old English bæl. Indo-European cognates include Sanskrit भाल (bhāla, “splendour”), Ancient Greek φαλός (phalós, “white”) and Old Armenian բալ (bal, “fog”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔɑːl/

  Rhymes: -ɔɑːl

• Rhymes: -ɔaːl

Noun

bál n (genitive singular báls, plural bál)

1. fire

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bál	bálið	bál	bálini
accusative	bál	bálið	bál	bálini
dative	báli	bálinum	bálum	bálunum
genitive	báls	bálsins	bála	bálanna

Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Ball.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbaːl]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Noun

bál (plural bálok)

1. ball (party)

Declension

Primarily:^[1]

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	bál	bálok
accusative	bált	bálokat
dative	bálnak	báloknak
instrumental	bállal	bálokkal
causal-final	bálért	bálokért
translative	bállá	bálokká
terminative	bálig	bálokig
essive-formal	bálként	bálokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	bálban	bálokban
superessive	bálon	bálokon
adessive	bálnál	báloknál
illative	bálba	bálokba
sublative	bálra	bálokra
allative	bálhoz	bálokhoz
elative	bálból	bálokból
delative	bálról	bálokról
ablative	báltól	báloktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	bálé	báloké
non-attributive possessive – plural	báléi	bálokéi

Possessive forms of bál

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bálom	báljaim
2nd person sing.	bálod	báljaid
3rd person sing.	bálja	báljai
1st person plural	bálunk	báljaink
2nd person plural	bálotok	báljaitok
3rd person plural	báljuk	báljaik

Less commonly:^[2]

Inflection (stem in -a-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	bál	bálak
accusative	bálat	bálakat
dative	bálnak	bálaknak
instrumental	bállal	bálakkal
causal-final	bálért	bálakért
translative	bállá	bálakká
terminative	bálig	bálakig
essive-formal	bálként	bálakként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	bálban	bálakban
superessive	bálon	bálakon
adessive	bálnál	bálaknál
illative	bálba	bálakba
sublative	bálra	bálakra
allative	bálhoz	bálakhoz
elative	bálból	bálakból
delative	bálról	bálakról
ablative	báltól	bálaktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	bálé	bálaké
non-attributive possessive – plural	báléi	bálakéi

Possessive forms of bál

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bálam	báljaim
2nd person sing.	bálad	báljaid
3rd person sing.	bálja	báljai
1st person plural	bálunk	báljaink
2nd person plural	bálatok	báljaitok
3rd person plural	báljuk	báljaik

or rarely

Possessive forms of bál

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	bálam	bálaim
2nd person sing.	bálad	bálaid
3rd person sing.	bála	bálai
1st person plural	bálunk	bálaink
2nd person plural	bálatok	bálaitok
3rd person plural	báluk	bálaik

Derived terms

(Compound words):

• álarcosbál
• bálterem

Further reading

• bál in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• bál , archaic synonym of bála (“bale, truss”)
• bál in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Anagrams

• láb

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse bál (whence the Danish bål (“fire, bonfire, pyre”), Norwegian bål and Swedish bål (“pyre, bonfire”)) from Proto-Germanic *bēlą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with the Old English bæl. Indo-European cognates include Sanskrit भाल (bhāla, “splendour”), Ancient Greek φαλός (phalós, “white”) and Old Armenian բալ (bal, “fog”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pauːl/

  Rhymes: -auːl

Noun

bál n (genitive singular báls, nominative plural bál)

1. fire, bonfire
2. conflagration, blaze

   Synonyms: eldsvoði, stórbruni

Declension

Declension of bál (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bál	bálið	bál	bálin
accusative	bál	bálið	bál	bálin
dative	báli	bálinu	bálum	bálunum
genitive	báls	bálsins	bála	bálanna

Derived terms

• bálför

Anagrams

• blá

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from French bal.

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /bˠɑːlˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠæːlˠ/

Noun

bál m (genitive singular báil, nominative plural báil)

1. ball (formal dance)

Declension

Declension of bál (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative bál báil vocative a bháil a bhála genitive báil bál dative bál báil forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an bál na báil genitive an bháil na mbál dative leis an mbál don bhál leis na báil

Derived terms

• bálghúna

Mutation

Mutated forms of bál

radical	lenition	eclipsis
bál	bhál	mbál

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bál”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “bál”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “bál”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *bēlą, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Indo-European cognates include Sanskrit भाल (bhāla, “splendour”), Old English bǣl, Ancient Greek φαλός (phalós, “white”) and Old Armenian բալ (bal, “fog”).

Noun

bál n (genitive báls, plural bál)

1. large fire, pyre
   • Vafþrúðnismál 54

     Fjǫlð ek fór, · fjǫlð freistaða’k,
     fjǫlð ek reynda regin;
     Hvat mælti Óðinn · áðr á bál stigi
     sjalfr í eyra syni?

     Far I travelled, far I tempted,
     far I tested the Powers.
     What spoke Woden, before onto the pyre he stepped,
     himself, in his son’s ear?

Descendants

• Icelandic: bál (“a fire”)
• Faroese: bál n
• Norwegian: bål (“pyre, fire, bonfire”)
• Swedish: bål (“pyre, bonfire”)
• Danish: bål (“pyre, bonfire”)

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [baːl]

Noun

bál m inan (relational adjective bálový)

1. ball (formal dance)

   Synonym: ples

Declension

Declension of bál (pattern dub)

	singular	plural
nominative	bál	bály
genitive	bálu	bálov
dative	bálu	bálom
accusative	bál	bály
locative	bále	báloch
instrumental	bálom	bálmi

Further reading

• “bál”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025