Old English · conjunction
eala
- Part of speech
- conjunction
- IPA
- /ˈæ͜ɑːˌlɑː/
- Syllables
- ˈæ͜ɑː · ˌlɑː (2 syllables)
eala1 · conjunction
Senses
if only
Ēalā wǣre hē āwðer oþþe hāt oþþe ċeald.
If only he was either hot or cold.
c. 897, King Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care
eala2 · interjection
Senses
oh; hey; good heavens; frequently glosses Latin O and eheu.
Ēalā frēond, hwȳ eart þū swā sċēoh?
Oh friend, why are you so shy?
Etymology
Perhaps from a compound whose elements answer to ēa (“oh!, ah!”) + lā (“lo”). Compare Old Frisian ēala (“hail!, hello!”).
Descendants
hallo, hello
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eala · CC BY-SA 4.0 licence · Attribution