devale

D2E1V4A1L1E1

noun

A Hindu temple in Sri Lanka.

Scrabble 10

Meanings

noundevale (plural devales)

plural devales

  1. A Hindu temple in Sri Lanka.

    Worshippers at the devale would hand over a small offering of betel and incense sticks to the kapurala and tell him their problems.

    1992, Piya Tan, Buddhist currents: a brief social analysis of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Siam, →OCLC
    1 more example

    Both the Maligava and the devales are administered by chief temple officials and their deputies, the services during the festival from providing supplies and decorations to participation in the processions are performed by temple tenants who hold temple lands (vihāragam and dēvālagam) in lieu of their rājakāriya (lit. "king's work," in this case temple service).

    1972, Hans Dieter Evers, Monks, Priests and Peasants: A Study of Buddhism and Social Structure in Central Ceylon

Origin

  1. Sanskritदेवालय
  2. Sinhaleseදේවාලය
  3. Englishdevale

From Sinhalese දේවාලය (dēwālaya), from Sanskrit देवालय (devālaya).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

devale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devale

MLA

“devale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devale. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “devale,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devale.

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