lila

L1I1L1A1

noun

The play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.

OriginSpanish lila →
Less commonScrabble 4
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Meanings

lila1

nounlila (uncountable)
  1. HinduismuncountableThe play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.

    His face shone with joy when he read good books, thought new thoughts, heard news about the country's welfare, or when God's lila filled his mind.

    2015, Tridip Suhrud, translating Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, Sarasvatichandra I, Orient BlackSwan 2015, p. 11

Lila2

proper noun
  1. A female given name from Arabic.

    “I been thinking about ‘Lila.’ I had a sister Lila. Give her a pretty name, maybe she could turn out pretty.”

    2014, Marilynne Robinson, Lila, Hachette UK, →ISBN
    1 more example

    Your name is flowery too. I used to say Mamita would have called you Lady Viola; but violet colors and lilac colors are cousins, and they both suit your complexion and your name, Mamita Lila.

    1867, Lydia Maria Francis Child, A Romance of the Republic, Ticknor and Fields, published 1867, page 149

Lila3

proper noun

alternative Leela

  1. A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.

Origin

lila · noun

Transliteration of Sanskrit लीला (līlā).

Full word history & related roots →

Lila · proper noun

  1. Spanishlila“lilac”
  2. EnglishLila

Variant of Leila or Lilah, depending on pronunciation; also associated with Spanish lila (“lilac”).

More words from Spanish

Full word history & related roots →

Lila · proper noun

  1. Sanskritलीला“play, charm”
  2. EnglishLila

From Sanskrit लीला (līlā, “play, charm”).

More words from Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Lail
Cite this entry
APA

lila. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lila

MLA

“lila.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lila. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lila,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lila.

Source: lila on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.