dal

1 of 2

noun

variants or dahl or dhal or less commonly dholl
: dried legumes (such as lentils, beans, or peas)
also : an Indian dish made of simmered and usually pureed and spiced legumes

dal

2 of 2

abbreviation

variants or less commonly daL
dekaliter

Examples of dal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Tandoori curried prawns, four-cheese chicken tikka and double butter dal makhani are just a few of the flavorful Indian dishes up for grabs at Farzi Café, while nearby El Gaucho is a must-visit for meat lovers thanks to their decadent 20-ounce Chateaubriand. Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Karan arranges her chapters regionally, and even includes one on dal soups and dals in neighboring countries, so there’s something for everyone here. Meher Mirza, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2023 It’s used in dishes both savory and sweet, although it’s particularly beloved in traditional desserts such as Indian moong dal halwa, a buttery porridge often spiced with saffron and cardamom, and Korean injeolmi, glutinous rice cakes rolled in crushed nuts. Wei Tchou, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024 This one stars moong dal, also known as split yellow lentils. Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023 Head to the Indian spice sections at Patel Brothers or Apna Bazar, and get your hands on black cardamom pods, mustard seeds, ghee, and all kinds of dal (split black lentils, pigeon peas, chickpeas) to bring back to your kitchen. Caroline Shin, Bon Appétit, 13 Oct. 2023 Khan’s dal is thick rather than soupy, but cloudlike in texture. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2023 Her latest book, which also includes streamlined Indian curries and dals, offers tips for using Indian spices even when not cooking Indian food, per se: slipping a pinch of garam masala into cookie dough or pie crust, or brushing ghee and chai spices on pineapple before grilling it. Ann Maloney, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023 Something about that juxtaposition—Aristotle in the mornings, clumsy pots of dal in the evenings—has inured me to all visions of moral philosophy as a simple variety of self-help. Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Hindi & Urdu dāl

First Known Use

Noun

1673, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dal was in 1673

Dictionary Entries Near dal

Cite this Entry

“Dal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dal. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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