wallah

English

Etymology 1

Either from Hindi -वाला (-vālā, “pertaining to”) or from Hindi वाला (vālā, “person in charge”), from Sanskrit पाल (pāla, “protector”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“protect”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɑːlə/, /ˈwɒlə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːlə, -ɒlə

Noun

wallah (plural wallahs)

1. (India) A servant or other person responsible for something, often specified before it, for example kitchen wallah.
   • 1931, George Orwell, A Hanging:

     Kindly take one of my cigarettes, sir. Do you not admire my new silver case, sir? From the boxwallah, two rupees eight annas.

2. (India, historical) Short for competition wallah.
3. (British, slang) A guy or bloke.

Derived terms

• boxwallah, boxwalla
• compass wallah
• competition wallah
• ground wallah
• punkahwallah

 

Etymology 2

From Arabic وَٱللّٰه (wa-llāh, literally “by God”).

Alternative forms

• wallahee, wallahi, wellah, wullah

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɑɫːɑːh/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː, -ɑːh

Adverb

wallah (not comparable)

1. (Islam) by God (Allah); may God be my witness used in making a solemn oath

Etymology 3

A corruption of voilà.

Interjection

wallah

1. Voilà.

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic وَٱللّٰه (wal-lāh).

Interjection

1. (slang) Generic intensifier.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic وَٱللّٰه (wal-lāh), "I swear by God".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wa.la/

• Audio:

  (file)

Interjection

wallah

1. (slang) wow (an expression of surprise)
2. (slang, Tunisia) I'm serious

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic وَٱللّٰه (wal-lāh), "I swear by God".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈwala], [ˈvala], [waˈlːah]

Interjection

wallah

1. (slang) Generic intensifier.

Adverb

wallah

1. (slang) (tag question, rather formal) right?

   Synonyms: wa, gell, ne, nicht, nicht wahr, oder

Further reading

• “wallah” in Duden online
• “wallah” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “wallah” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon

Swedish

Alternative forms

• walla

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic وَٱللّٰه (wal-lāh).

Interjection

wallah

1. (Islam) wallah (when making an oath)

   Synonym: mammas död

   – Är det sant? – Wallah! Jag svär!

   – Is that true? – Wallah! I swear!

2. (slang) Generic intensifier.

See also

• jalla