Where does “ala” come from?

ala (Tagalog) comes from Spanish Alá, from Old Spanish ala, from Old Spanish a, from Latin Ad, from Latin illic, from Latin ille, from Latin olle, from Proto-Italic *olnos — that.

ala (Tagalog): expressing negation or disapproval, or sometimes agreement, depending on the tenor of expression

Definitions

  1. expressing negation or disapproval, or sometimes agreement, depending on the tenor of expression

Ancestry of “ala”, step by step

ala traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Spanish Alá

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SpanishAláAllah God’s name in Islam
2Old Spanishalawing
3Old Spanishato, toward, in, at
4LatinAdtoward, to
5Latinilliche, she, it, yonder, that, overthere; in that...
6Latinillethat; those; "; demonstrative pronoun "; that...
7LatinolleArchaic form of ille
8Proto-Italic*olnosthat

via Tagalog wala

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tagalogwalanothing; none; absent; gulf; high seas
2Proto-Philippine*wada
Every word from Proto-Italic *olnos
ala — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer