English word origin

Etymology of la-la

Sounds used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā, a common exclamation, Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”). Compare also blah blah.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

adj

Of indifferent quality; so-so.

verb

To sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly. · To sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Cognate mentionlāang
Cognate mentionlallende · to babble

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "lā"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lā"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "el",
        "2": "λαλαγε",
        "t": "babble"
      },
      "expansion": "Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "lallen",
        "t": "to babble"
      },
      "expansion": "German lallen (“to babble”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lā",
      "la#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "λαλαγε",
      "λαλαγε#Greek"
    ],
    [
      "lallen",
      "lallen#German"
    ],
    [
      "blah blah",
      "blah blah#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of indifferent quality; so-so."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "50dd81f671c72020114692f4d9d29d800457dfb71ff7fdb61b7da864b7338e3b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f253a2f4674823cb948e98a0da68796faa8be96aef7de693a7b923de2eb60038",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6425568
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To sing or recite the syllable la repeatedly.",
        "To sing (a song) with la replacing the song lyrics."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "7fb02c1bf94a411e200f7a264fe795e046701c57701419719469a4a9a5b0ae7c",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6425569
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad. · A woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Unknown. Compare la, an interjection used to introduce a statement or express emotion.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "la",
      "la#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Something unusually good; (occasionally) something unusually bad.",
        "A woman's genitals, especially the vagina; a sexually permissive woman."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "98980b02c10ce0adf5e660dc9413e83d06c6bdba02415022ad159b09c19d2a96",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cb6f20b9b347c7f6b03e032e4ec2390d4e39108472b8d7cd5d82f56feba0399b",
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative form of la la (“clams”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la), from 蜊 (lâ, “clam”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention啦啦nan-hbl

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "啦啦",
        "tr": "la-la"
      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien 啦啦 (la-la)"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "蜊",
        "tr": "lâ",
        "t": "clam"
      },
      "expansion": "蜊 (lâ, “clam”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "啦啦",
      "啦啦#Hokkien"
    ],
    [
      "蜊",
      "蜊#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of la la (“clams”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Malaysia",
        "Singapore",
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "ab02af253506f477b665a71984d90e6286f87c3a248c3c1cd9ff15e19fb1f6ae",
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for la-la →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGEtbGE