ilala, noun

/iˈlɑːlə/
Forms:
Also lala.
Origin:
IsiZuluShow more IsiZulu, from lala (verb) sleep; see quotations 1978 and 1988.
In full ilala palm: the fan palm Hyphaene coriacea of the Arecaceae. Also attributive.
1868 J. Chapman Trav. II. 464Ilala, Hyphæne.
1884 E.P. Mathers Trip to Moodie’s 29There is a natural drink..which..goes by the name of kaffir beer..it is the exudation of a native palm tree (ilala).
1911 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 253Of palms [in Natal] there are two varieties, the ilala (Hyphaene crinita), found only by the sea shore and a mile or two inland, and the isundu (Phoenix reclinata).
1929 J. Stevenson-Hamilton Low-Veld 44Rope is made from the bark of several acacias and from that of the bush known as tshishumbana..while the fibre of the ilala, or fan palm (Hyphoene crinita) is used for the same purpose.
1954 T.V. Bulpin Ivory Trail 44He..passed the hot hours in plaiting a hat from lala palm leaves.
1954 T.V. Bulpin Ivory Trail 114The elephants..also had a liking for this potent lala palm wine.
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 254Ilala palm, Natives use the leaves for making basket-ware, rope, etc. The trunk is tapped and the sap caught in small calabashes and fermented into a very potent liquor.
1978 A. Elliott Sons of Zulu 129They..make a brew from the sap of a fan-palm tree which they call lala palm. In their language lala means to sleep, so no doubt the tree got its name originally from the soporific delights which its juices gave to those who partook of them.
1980 S. Afr. Digest 17 Oct. 15Ilala Palm, also known as the Fan Palm or Gingerbread Tree (Hyphaene natalensis). Occurs from the Natal South Coast, through KwaZulu, the Transvaal to as far north as tropical Africa. The nut is known as vegetable ivory, from which buttons are made.
1988 P. Wilhelm Healing Process 25One thing you have to know about this area..is its ecology of drunkenness. Have you heard of the lala-palm?..They collect its sap and within twenty-four hours the stuff ferments and you can drink it. Palm wine.
1993 G. Silber in Flying Springbok June 79I watched him (sc. an elephant) tear off a couple of fronds and a giant cluster of orange dates from the top of an ilala palm.
In full ilala palm:the fan palm Hyphaene coriacea of the Arecaceae. Also attributive.
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IsiZulu
ikrwala, nounn.ili-, prefixpref.
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