mall

See also: Mall

English

A mall (shopping center).

Etymology

Probably from The Mall, a major street in London, England, which was originally a pall mall alley.

Pronunciation

• (UK)
  • (shopping centre) IPA^(key): /mɔːl/
  • (other senses) IPA^(key): /mæl/
  • Rhymes: -æl, Rhymes: -ɔːl
• (General American, New England, Australia, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /mɔːl/
  • Rhymes: -ɔːl
  • Homophone: maul

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (Australia):

    (file)

    • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /mɑl/
      • Homophone: moll

Noun

mall (countable and uncountable, plural malls)

1. (chiefly Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand) A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct. [from 20th c.]
   • 1950 August 15, Philip Hampson, “Field's Plans 15 to 20 Million Shopping Center for Skokie”, in Chicago Daily Tribune‎^[1], page 1:

     The preliminary plans provide for one million square feet of selling space in three main buildings and a double row of shops along a central shopping mall.

   • 2002, Alexander Garvin, The American City: What Works, What Doesn′t, page 179:

     America′s first pedestrianized shopping mall opened in 1959 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Like most later pedestrian malls, it was intended to revive what everybody thought was a decaying downtown.

2. An enclosed shopping centre. [from 20th c.]
   • 2004, Ralph E. Warner, Get a Life: You Don′t Need a Million to Retire Well, unnumbered page:

     Every day, at about the time the rest of us go to work, groups of retirees gather at many of America′s enclosed shopping malls.

   • 2020, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, “August”, in Folklore:

     Cancel plans just in case you'd call / And say, "Meet me behind the mall"

   • 2026 June 30, Brian Raftery, Ross Mantle, “Horror Fans Bid a Bittersweet Farewell to an Empty Mall Full of Zombies”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     Such a fate seemed impossible when the mall opened its doors in 1969. Hailed by its founders as “the U.S.’s largest enclosed shopping center,” the building featured an ice-skating rink, a $125,000 clock tower that hosted puppet shows, and more than 100 stores and businesses.

3. (obsolete) An alley where the game of pall mall was played. [17th–19th c.]
4. A public walk; a level shaded walk, a promenade. [from 18th c.]
   • 1820, Robert Southey, The Life of Wesley; and Rise and Progress of Methodism:

     Part of the area was laid out in gravel walks, and planted with elms; and these convenient and frequented walks obtained the name of the City Mall.

5. A heavy wooden mallet or hammer used in the game of pall mall. [from 17th c.]
   • 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner:

     I also fell slightly; but his fall proving a severe one, he arose in wrath, and struck me with the mall which he held in his hand, until my blood flowed copiously […]

6. (obsolete) The game of polo. [17th c.]
7. (obsolete) An old game played with malls or mallets and balls; pall mall. [17th–19th c.]
   • 1675, Charles Cotton, Burlesque upon Burlesque:

     But playing with the Boy ar Mall,
     (I rue the Time, and ever shall)
     I struck the Ball, I know not how

Derived terms

• auto mall
• automall
• cybermall
• dead mall
• ghost mall
• mall cop
• mallcore
• mall emo
• mall-goer
• mallgoer
• mallgoth
• mallie
• mallification
• mall ninja
• mall rat
• mall shooter
• mall shooting
• mallsoft
• mallspeak
• mallternative
• mall traffic
• mall walker
• mall walking
• megamall
• minimall
• mini-mall
• pall-mall
• shopping mall
• strip mall
• supermall
• unmalled

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: mall
• → Russian: молл (moll)

Translations

alley where the game of pall mall was played

• French: mail (fr) m

public walk ; level shaded walkway

• Bulgarian: але́я (bg) f (aléja)
• French: mail (fr) m
• Welsh: rhodfa f

pedestrianized street

• Bulgarian: пешехо́дна у́лица f (pešehódna úlica)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 步行街 (zh) (bùxíngjiē)

• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: ถนนคนเดิน
• Vietnamese: phố đi bộ

enclosed shopping centre

• Afrikaans: winkelsentrum
• Arabic: مَرْكَز تَسَوِّق m (markaz tasawwiq), مَرْكَز تِجَارِيّ m (markaz tijāriyy), مول m (mōl)

  Hijazi Arabic: مول m (mōl)

• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܩܸܢܛܪܘܿܢ ܫܘܼܩܵܝܵܐ m (qinṭrōn šuqqāyā), ܩܸܢܛܪܘܿܢ ܬܹܐܓ݂ܘܼܪܬܵܢܵܝܵܐ m (qinṭrōn tēḡurtānāyā), ܒܹܝܬ ܬܹܐܓ݂ܘܼܪܬܵܐ m (bēt tēḡurtā)

• Belarusian: гандлёвы цэнтр m (handljóvy centr)
• Bulgarian: търго́вски це́нтър m (tărgóvski céntăr)
• Catalan: centre comercial (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 購物中心 / 购物中心 (zh) (gòuwù zhòngxīn), 商場 / 商场 (zh) (shāngchǎng)

• Dutch: winkelcentrum (nl) n
• Esperanto: vendejaro, butikumcentro
• Finnish: ostoskeskus (fi)
• French: centre commercial (fr) m, mail (fr) m (Quebec)
• German: Einkaufszentrum (de) n
• Greek: εμπορικό κέντρο (el) n (emporikó kéntro)
• Hebrew: קַנְיוֹן (he) m (kanyon)
• Hindi: शॉपिंग सेंटर (śŏpiṅg sẽṭar)
• Hungarian: pláza (hu), bevásárlóközpont (hu)
• Irish: meal m, meal siopadóireachta m, ionad siopadóireachta m, ceantar siopaí m
• Italian: centro commerciale (it)
• Japanese: モール (ja) (mōru), ショッピングセンター (ja) (shoppingusentā)
• Khmer: ផ្សារទំនើប (phsaa tumnəəp)
• Korean: 쇼핑 센터 (syoping senteo)
• Macedonian: тр́говски це́нтар m (tŕgovski céntar)
• Māori: whare toatini, mōro
• Marathi: मॉल m (mŏl)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kjøpesenter (no) n

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: مَرْکَزِ خَرید (markaz-e xarid)

• Portuguese: centro comercial (pt) m, shopping (pt) m
• Romanian: centru comercial n, mall n
• Russian: торго́вый центр (ru) m (torgóvyj centr), молл (ru) m (moll)
• Spanish: centro comercial (es) m, shopping m (Argentina), mall m, mol (es) m
• Thai: ศูนย์การค้า (sǔun-gaan-káa), ห้างสรรพสินค้า (th) (hâang-sàp-pá-sǐn-káa), ห้าง (th) (hâang)
• Turkish: alışveriş merkezi, AVM (tr)
• Turkmen: söwda merkezi
• Ukrainian: торго́вий центр m (torhóvyj centr)
• Vietnamese: trung tâm thương mại, trung tâm mua sắm, thương xá (vi)
• Welsh: canolfan siopa f
• Zazaki: mêl (diq)

heavy wooden mallet used in the game of pall mall

• French: mail (fr) m
• Welsh: gordd (cy) f

old game played with malls or mallets and balls — see pall mall

Verb

mall (third-person singular simple present malls, present participle malling, simple past and past participle malled)

1. to beat with a mall, or mallet; to beat with something heavy; to bruise
2. to build up with the development of shopping malls
3. (informal) to shop at the mall

References

• “mall”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “mall”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Albanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [maɫ]

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish مال (mal).

Noun

mall m (plural mallra, definite malli, definite plural mallrat)

1. goods

   Synonym: çeshit

Declension

Declension of mall

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mall	malli	mallra	mallrat
accusative		mallin
dative	malli	mallit	mallrave	mallrave
ablative			mallrash

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin malum.

Alternative forms

• moll — southern Gheg

Noun

mall m (plural malle, definite malli, definite plural mallet)

1. longing, missing, nostalgia

Declension

Declension of mall

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mall	malli	malle	mallet
accusative		mallin
dative	malli	mallit	malleve	malleve
ablative			mallesh

Etymology 3

Noun

mall m (plural malle, definite malli, definite plural mallet)

1. alternative form of mal (“mountain”)

Declension

Declension of mall

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mall	malli	malle	mallet
accusative		mallin
dative	malli	mallit	malleve	malleve
ablative			mallesh

Azerbaijani

Other scripts

Cyrillic		мол
Arabic

Alternative forms

• mol

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English mall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [moɫ] (phonetic respelling: mol)

Noun

mall (North Azerbaijani, colloquial)

1. shopping mall

   Synonym: ticarət mərkəzi

Breton

Noun

mall m

1. haste

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin malleus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈmaʎ]
• Rhymes: -aʎ

Noun

mall m (plural malls)

1. hammer

Derived terms

• mallar

Related terms

• mal·leable
• mal·lèol
• mallol

Further reading

• “mall”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Cebuano

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English mall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmol/ [ˈmol̪]

Noun

mall

1. mall; shopping center
2. (by extension) department store

Estonian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑlʲː/, [ˈmɑlʲː]
• Rhymes: -ɑlʲː
• Hyphenation: mall

Noun

mall (genitive malli, partitive malli)

1. protractor (a circular or semicircular tool for measuring angles)
2. model, template

Declension

Declension of mall (ÕS type 22e/riik, length gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		mall	mallid
accusative	nom.
	gen.	malli
genitive			mallide
partitive		malli	malle mallisid
illative		malli mallisse	mallidesse mallesse
inessive		mallis	mallides malles
elative		mallist	mallidest mallest
allative		mallile	mallidele mallele
adessive		mallil	mallidel mallel
ablative		mallilt	mallidelt mallelt
translative		malliks	mallideks malleks
terminative		mallini	mallideni
essive		mallina	mallidena
abessive		mallita	mallideta
comitative		malliga	mallidega

Compounds

• dokumendimall
• käitumismall
• lausemall
• moodustusmall
• tuletusmall
• väljendusmall

References

• mall in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “mall”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish mall, from Proto-Celtic *malnos (“slow, lazy”)

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /mˠɑul̪ˠ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /mˠɑːl̪ˠ/
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /mˠal̪ˠ/

Adjective

mall (genitive singular masculine mall, genitive singular feminine moille, plural malla, comparative moille)

1. slow

   Ní fhanann trá le fear mall.

   An ebb does not wait for a slow man.

2. late

   prátaí malla ― late potatoes

Declension

Declension of mall

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	mall	mhall	malla; mhalla2
vocative	mhall		malla
genitive		moille	malla	mall
dative	mall; mhall1	mhall; mhall (archaic)	malla; mhalla2
Comparative	níos moille
Superlative	is moille

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Mutated forms of mall

radical	lenition	eclipsis
mall	mhall	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “mall”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 704; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “mall”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *malnos (“slow, lazy”), of uncertain derivation, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“to be late, hesitate”) + *-nós; compare Ancient Greek μέλλω (méllō, “be late”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmal̪/

Adjective

mall (comparative mailliu, superlative maillem)

1. slow
   • c. 700–800, Táin Bó Cúailnge; from the Yellow Book of Lecan, published in The Táin Bó Cúailnge from the Yellow Book of Lecan, with variant readings from the Lebor na hUidre (1912, Dublin: Hodges, Figgis, and Co.), edited by John Strachan and James George O'Keeffe , TBC-I 3537:

     Nirbo mailli[u] do·lotar olmbátar in charpait.

     [The men] who arrived [on foot] were no slower than the men on chariots.

2. tardy, late
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5^c5

     Dos·n-icfa cobir, cid mall. Bith maith immurgu intain dond·iccfa.

     Help will come, although it may be slow to do so. [The help] will be good, however, when it does arrive.

Inflection

o/ā-stem

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	mall	mall	mall
vocative	maill* mall**
accusative	mall	maill
genitive	maill	maille	maill
dative	maull	maill	maull
plural	masculine	feminine/neuter
nominative	maill	malla
vocative	mallu malla†
accusative	mallu malla†
genitive	mall
dative	mallaib

*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative
**modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative
† not when substantivized

Derived terms

• utmall

Descendants

• Middle Irish: mall
  • Irish: mall
  • Manx: moal
  • Scottish Gaelic: mall

Mutation

Mutation of mall

radical	lenition	nasalization
mall also mmall in h-prothesis environments	mall pronounced with /β̃-/	mall also mmall

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “mall”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English mall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mol/

Noun

mall n (plural malluri)

1. shopping mall, shopping centre

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	mall	mallul	malluri	mallurile
genitive-dative	mall	mallului	malluri	mallurilor
vocative	mallule		mallurilor

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish mall; see above.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maul̪ˠ/, [mãʊ̃l̪ˠ]

Adjective

mall

1. slow
2. tardy, late
3. lazy
4. weak
5. calm, placid

   feasgar mall 's na h-eòin a' seinn ― a calm evening and the birds warbling

6. dull, senseless

Derived terms

• luath no mall
• ruigidh each mall muileann

Mutation

Mutation of mall

radical	lenition
mall	mhall

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911), “mall”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• MacLennan, Malcolm (1925), A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Edinburgh: J. Grant, →OCLC

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English mall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmol/ [ˈmol]
• Rhymes: -ol

Noun

mall m (plural malls)

1. mall (shopping centre)

Further reading

• “mall”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch mal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmal/

Noun

mall c

1. a template

   Synonym: schablon

Declension

Declension of mall

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mall	malls
	definite	mallen	mallens
plural	indefinite	mallar	mallars
	definite	mallarna	mallarnas

Descendants

• → Finnish: malli

References

• “mall”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Tagalog

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English mall. Used due to Tagalog-English code-switching (Taglish).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈmol/ [ˈmol]
• Rhymes: -ol
• Syllabification: mall

Noun

mall (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜓᜎ᜔)

1. shopping mall; shopping center

Further reading

• “mall”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɬ/
• Rhymes: -aɬ

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “see also ball”)

Noun

mall m (uncountable)

1. plague, pestilence

   Synonyms: pla, haint

Adjective

mall (feminine singular mall, plural mall, comparative mwy mall, equative mor fall, superlative mwyaf mall)

1. putrid

   Synonyms: pwdr, llygredig

Derived terms

• malltod, mallter (“blight, rot”)
• y Fall (“perdition”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of mall

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
mall	fall	unchanged	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

mall

1. soft mutation of ball (“pestilence”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of ball

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
ball	fall	mall	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “mall”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “mall”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies