What does "la" mean?
Initialism of left atrium.
La
/ˌɛl ˈeɪ/ adj, intj, name, noun, particle, slang
adj, intj, name, noun, particle, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Initialism of left atrium.
- Grammar: la is listed as adj, intj, name, noun, particle, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: atomic number 57, definite article, her, hump.
- Useful contrasts: indefinite article, le, lo.
- Usage evidence: These students are the crème de la crème of our school.
How to use "la"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "la" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "la" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "la" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "la" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "la" is acting as adj, intj, name, noun, particle, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "atomic number 57" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "la", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Initialism of left atrium. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 2 A syllable used in solfège to represent the sixth note of a major scale.
"And now Mrs Waters (for we must confess she was in the same bed), being, I suppose, awakened from her sleep, and seeing two men fighting in her bedchamber, began to scream in the most violent manner, crying out murder! robbery! and more frequently rape! which last, some, perhaps, may wonder she should mention, who do not consider that these words of exclamation are used by ladies in a fright, as fa, la, la, ra, da, &c., are in music, only as the vehicles of sound, and without any fixed ideas."
- 3 lad, kid
- 4 Abbreviation of lane (in street addresses). abbreviation, alt-of
- 5 the syllable naming the sixth (submediant) note of a major or minor scale in solmization wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Initialism of lead arsenate. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 7 Alternative form of LA. alt-of, alternative
- 8 a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth wordnet
- 9 Initialism of local anesthetic. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 10 Initialism of lateral area. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 11 Initialism of local authority. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Adjective
- 1 Prefixed to the name of a woman, with ironic effect (as though an opera prima donna). ironic, not-comparable, often
"Following lukewarm on the heels of an article a few weeks ago, where (I paraphrase due to having filed the relevant copy in the recycling bin) Victoria Beckham made a "well-meaning" remark that the other Spice Girls might want to lose a few pounds, we now have a new incidence of La Beckham's scintillating and entirely well-meaning humour."
Intj
- 1 Represents the sound of music or singing.
""La la la la, I can't hear you!" Jimmy said, sticking his fingers in his ears."
- 2 Used to introduce a statement with emphatic or intensive effect. obsolete
- 3 Expressing surprise, anger. etc. archaic
"La, ma'am, what doth your la'ship think? the girl that your la'ship saw at church on Sunday, whom you thought so handsome; though you would not have thought her so handsome neither, if you had seen her nearer, but to be sure she hath been carried before the justice for being big with child."
Particle
- 1 Placed at the end of a sentence in imperatives making it sound more like a request than an order. Hong-Kong, colloquial
"Sleep la!"
- 2 Alternative form of lah. Hong-Kong, Manglish, Singlish, alt-of, alternative, colloquial
- 3 Used to tone down comments. Hong-Kong, colloquial
"ok la"
Proper Noun
- 1 Initialism of Los Angeles: a city in California, United States. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
"LA is the loneliest and most brutal of American cities; New York gets god-awful cold in the winter but there’s a feeling of wacky comradeship somewhere in some streets. LA is a jungle."
- 2 Abbreviation of Louisiana: a state of the United States. abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 Abbreviation of Ladakh: a union territory of India. abbreviation, alt-of
- 4 Abbreviation of Lower Arkansas, also in reference to the state of Louisiana. abbreviation, alt-of, humorous
- 5 Abbreviation of Lampung: a province of Indonesia. abbreviation, alt-of
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Initialism of Las Anod: a city in Somalia. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 7 Initialism of Linear A. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"These students are the crème de la crème of our school."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "la"?
Common synonyms include: atomic number 57, definite article, her, hump, it, lah.
How do you use "la" in a sentence?
These students are the crème de la crème of our school.
How do you pronounce "la"?
Pronounced /ˌɛl ˈeɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Glover's solmization, from Middle English la (“sixth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian la in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin labiī (“lip's”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.
Etymology 2
Sound used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā (a common exclamation), Ancient Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English la, from Old English lā. More at lo.
Etymology 4
From French la, Italian la.
Etymology 5
Possibly a shortened form of lad.
Etymology 6
From Cantonese 啦 (laa¹). Doublet of lah.
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