Sinhala

Sin·ha·la
S1I1N1H4A1L1A1
/ˈsɪnhələ//sɪnˈhɑːlə/

noun

Synonym of Sinhalese (“language”).

Similar
SinhaleseSinghaleseSinghalese languageSinhala languageSinhalese language
OriginSinhalese සිංහල (siṁhala) ← Sanskrit सिंहल (siṃhala) ← Proto-Indo-Aryan *sinźʰás →
Less commonScrabble 10
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Meanings

nounSinhala (uncountable)

alternative archaic Cinghal

  1. uncountableSynonym of Sinhalese (“language”).

    Synonyms: Sinhalese

proper noun

alternative archaic Cinghal

  1. obsoleteThe island of Sri Lanka.
  2. The kingdom in the island of Sri Lanka mentioned in the Mahabharata.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of Sinhalese (“language”).

Similar
Sinhalese

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveof or relating to the Sinhalese languages

Similar
SinghaleseSinhalese

nounthe Indic language spoken by the people of Sri Lanka

Similar
SinhaleseSinghaleseSinghalese languageSinhala languageSinhalese language
Broader
SanskritSanskritic languageSanskrit language
Also see
sinhalese

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-Iranian*sinȷ́ʰás
  2. Proto-Indo-Aryan*sinźʰás
  3. Sanskritसिंह (siṃha)
  4. Sanskritसिंहल (siṃhala)
  5. Sinhaleseසිංහල (siṁhala)
  6. EnglishSinhala

Borrowed from Sinhalese සිංහල (siṁhala), itself borrowed from Sanskrit सिंहल (siṃhala, literally “lionlike”), from सिंह (siṃhá, “lion”) + -ल (-la), recorded as the name of the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from about the 10th to 12th century, but presumably older, as it is also the source of the name Ceylon in western geographic tradition. The name is sometimes glossed as "abode of lions", referring to a supposed former abundance of lions on the island ( The Asiatic Journal 20 (1836), p. 30). Doublet of Ceylon and Elu.

More words from Sinhalese, Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Sinhala

galaimpalaUppsalakoalaValhallatalamasalapalakamalachallahnyalamancalawallahalcavalaimalalauhalalicualatambalatikka masalatrehala
All rhymes →

Anagrams

AlishanLaishanAlshain
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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