mahala, adverb and & adjective

/maˈha(ː)la//məˈhɑːlə/
Origin:
IsiZulu, Southern SothoShow more IsiZulu and Southern Sotho adverb.
Note:
More common in speech than in written contexts.
A. adverb For nothing, gratis. Cf. basela adverb (see basela noun).
1941 ‘R. Roamer’ in Bantu World 1 Mar. 4Jos: And who gave her away in marriage? Jer: She gave herself away — mahala.
1941 ‘R. Roamer’ in Bantu World 8 Mar. 4She says a man with a car can do anything with her. He can just have her mahala, without even seeing her parents about the matter.
1948 E. Hellmann Rooiyard 40Many domestic conflicts are occasioned by the desire of a man to give his friends beer mahala (free of charge), while his wife demands that his friends, who form the nucleus of her beer-custom, should pay for their drinks.
1948 E. Hellmann Rooiyard 60The host and hostess dispense beer and food mahala.
1991 I.E.G. Collett Informant, Pilgrim’s RestNothing for mahala: Nothing for gratis.
B. adjective Free; obtained without payment or difficulty.
1977 Weekend World 31 July C1There lies my bid for an easy R25. That’s mahala money you might say.
For nothing, gratis.
Free; obtained without payment or difficulty.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

19411991

Browse Related Words

By Category

Economics and Commerce

By Origin

IsiZulu
Sesotho and Sesotho sa Leboa

By Usage

idiomatic
magwinya, nounn.mahem, nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English