Afrikaans muur | ||
Albanian mur | ||
Amharic ግድግዳ | ||
Arabic حائط | ||
Armenian պատ | ||
Assamese দেৱাল | ||
Aymara pirqa | ||
Azerbaijani divar | ||
Bambara kogo | ||
Basque horma | ||
Belarusian сцяна | ||
Bengali প্রাচীর | ||
Bhojpuri भीत | ||
Bosnian zid | ||
Bulgarian стена | ||
Catalan paret | ||
Cebuano bungbong | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 壁 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 壁 | ||
Corsican muru | ||
Croatian zid | ||
Czech zeď | ||
Danish væg | ||
Dhivehi ފާރު | ||
Dogri कंध | ||
Dutch muur | ||
English wall | ||
Esperanto muro | ||
Estonian sein | ||
Ewe glĩ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) pader | ||
Finnish seinä | ||
French mur | ||
Frisian muorre | ||
Galician muro | ||
Georgian კედელი | ||
German wand | ||
Greek τείχος | ||
Guarani agyke | ||
Gujarati દિવાલ | ||
Haitian Creole mi | ||
Hausa bango | ||
Hawaiian pā | ||
Hebrew קִיר | ||
Hindi दीवार | ||
Hmong ntsa | ||
Hungarian fal | ||
Icelandic vegg | ||
Igbo mgbidi | ||
Ilocano diding | ||
Indonesian dinding | ||
Irish balla | ||
Italian parete | ||
Japanese 壁 | ||
Javanese tembok | ||
Kannada ಗೋಡೆ | ||
Kazakh қабырға | ||
Khmer ជញ្ជាំង | ||
Kinyarwanda urukuta | ||
Konkani वणट | ||
Korean 벽 | ||
Krio wɔl | ||
Kurdish dîwar | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) دیوار | ||
Kyrgyz дубал | ||
Lao ຝາ | ||
Latin murus | ||
Latvian sienas | ||
Lingala efelo | ||
Lithuanian siena | ||
Luganda ekisenge | ||
Luxembourgish mauer | ||
Macedonian wallид | ||
Maithili देवाल | ||
Malagasy rindrina | ||
Malay dinding | ||
Malayalam മതിൽ | ||
Maltese ħajt | ||
Maori pakitara | ||
Marathi भिंत | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯐꯛꯂꯥꯡ | ||
Mizo bang | ||
Mongolian хана | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) မြို့ရိုး | ||
Nepali भित्ता | ||
Norwegian vegg | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) khoma | ||
Odia (Oriya) କାନ୍ଥ | ||
Oromo keenyan | ||
Pashto دیوال | ||
Persian دیوار | ||
Polish ściana | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) parede | ||
Punjabi ਕੰਧ | ||
Quechua pirqa | ||
Romanian perete | ||
Russian стена | ||
Samoan pa | ||
Sanskrit भित्ति | ||
Scots Gaelic balla | ||
Sepedi leboto | ||
Serbian зид | ||
Sesotho lebota | ||
Shona wall | ||
Sindhi ڀت | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) බිත්තිය | ||
Slovak stena | ||
Slovenian zid | ||
Somali derbiga | ||
Spanish pared | ||
Sundanese témbok | ||
Swahili ukuta | ||
Swedish vägg | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) pader | ||
Tajik девор | ||
Tamil சுவர் | ||
Tatar дивар | ||
Telugu గోడ | ||
Thai ผนัง | ||
Tigrinya መንደቅ | ||
Tsonga khumbi | ||
Turkish duvar | ||
Turkmen diwar | ||
Twi (Akan) ban | ||
Ukrainian стіна | ||
Urdu دیوار | ||
Uyghur تام | ||
Uzbek devor | ||
Vietnamese tường | ||
Welsh wal | ||
Xhosa udonga | ||
Yiddish וואַנט | ||
Yoruba odi | ||
Zulu udonga |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "muur" originates from the Dutch word "muur" and the Latin word "murus", both meaning "wall". |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "mur" is derived from the Latin "murus" and also means "rock formation" or "ridge" in some contexts. |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "ግድግዳ" originally referred to a fortified wall. |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "حائط" can also refer to a barrier or a partition. |
| Armenian | The word "պատ" (pat) comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *peth-, meaning "to spread out". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "divar" in Azerbaijani, besides its primary meaning as "wall", also refers to the side walls of a tent, and historically to fortification walls or ramparts. |
| Basque | The word "horma" also means "mould" or "shape" in Basque, and it can refer to either the shape of a material object or to a metaphorical or abstract shape. |
| Belarusian | The word "сцяна" (wall) in Belarusian can also refer to a "side" or "face" of a building or object. |
| Bengali | This word means |
| Bosnian | The word "zid" can also refer to a fence or a partition. |
| Bulgarian | In the 18th century "стена" could also be used figuratively to refer to a row of tall people. |
| Catalan | The word "paret" in Catalan originates from the Latin word "paries," meaning "wall" or "enclosure." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | The character "壁" (wall) also means "cliff, precipice" and "screen, shade". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 壁 (pronounced "bì" in Mandarin) can also refer to an obstacle or barrier to success or progress. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "muru" derives from the Latin "murus" and originally meant "city wall". |
| Croatian | The Croatian word 'zid' derives from the Proto-Slavic 'zidъ', also meaning 'wall', which itself originates from the Proto-Indo-European word 'gʰedh-', meaning 'to build' or 'to construct'. Other words sharing a similar etymology are the English word 'hedge' and the Persian word 'divar' (meaning 'wall', 'barrier', or 'fence'). |
| Czech | Slovo "zeď" pochází ze staroslověnštiny, původně znamenalo plot nebo ohradu. |
| Danish | The word "væg" in Danish can also refer to a panel or partition, as well as the side of a ship or boat. |
| Dutch | The word "muur" comes from Proto-Germanic "*mūraz" meaning "wall made of stakes". |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "muro" is derived from the Latin word "murus", meaning "wall", and also has additional meanings such as "barrier" or "obstacle". |
| Estonian | The word "sein" in Estonian is also used to refer to a series of something, such as pearls or sausages. |
| Finnish | Cognate with Sanskrit 'sēnā' (force, army), Latin 'senex' (old man), 'senatus' (council of elders) and 'sentinō' (think). |
| French | The French word "mur" derives from the Latin "murus" and shares its Latin root with the English word "mural". |
| Frisian | In East Frisian, "muorre" can also refer to a "mound," especially one for water management |
| Galician | In Galician, "muro" also refers to a heap or pile, likely derived from the Latin "murus" (wall) and sharing a root with "montón" (heap). |
| Georgian | The word "კედელი" also refers to the side of a building that faces a street or square. |
| German | The word "Wand" in German also means "meadow" or "pasture". |
| Greek | In Greek, "τείχος" referred to ramparts, embankments, or stone fortifications in the Classical period, while it expanded to encompass a broader range of enclosing structures like terraces and dikes in the Byzantine era. |
| Gujarati | "Dival" also refers to a wick or lamp used for worship in Gujarati, derived from the Sanskrit word "deepa" meaning "light". |
| Haitian Creole | The word "mi" in Haitian Creole derives from the French word "mur", meaning "wall", and also refers to a "boundary" or "obstacle". |
| Hausa | The word "bango" is also used in Hausa to mean "a place where people gather". |
| Hawaiian | The Hawaiian word "pā" can also mean a fortress or enclosure. |
| Hebrew | The word "קִיר" in Hebrew can also mean "enemy" or "opponent". |
| Hindi | The word "दीवार" can also mean a 'fort' or a 'barrier' |
| Hmong | The Hmong word 'ntsa' can also refer to a fence or enclosure |
| Hungarian | The word 'fal' also means 'village' in Hungarian, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂el-' meaning 'to turn, bend' |
| Icelandic | The word "vegg" also means "slope" in Icelandic. |
| Igbo | The word |
| Indonesian | The word "dinding" can also refer to a membrane or a thin layer that separates two things. |
| Irish | The Irish "balla" likely derives from the Proto-Celtic "*waljā" and akin to the Welsh "gwal" and Breton "faou". |
| Italian | The word "parete" in Italian derives from the Latin word "paries," which can also mean "defense" or "protection." |
| Japanese | The character "壁" can also mean "curtain" or "screen" in Japanese. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "tembok" (wall) has a related word "tembe" which means a temporary construction to separate or surround spaces, typically made from woven bamboo or coconut leaves. |
| Kannada | The word 'ಗೋಡೆ' in Kannada can also mean a 'barrier' or 'obstacle'. |
| Kazakh | The word "қабырға" (қауырсын) can also mean 'rib' and is thought to derive from the Proto-Turkic root *kabırgak or *kaburga, which originally meant 'rib'. |
| Khmer | Despite the obvious meaning of "wall", the word ជញ្ជាំង can also refer to the outside layer of a coconut fruit. |
| Korean | The word '벽' can also refer to a person's stomach or intestines. |
| Kurdish | The word "dîwar" is also used in Kurdish to refer to a fence or hedge. |
| Kyrgyz | The word |
| Lao | The Lao word "ຝາ" can also refer to a lid, cover, or partition. |
| Latin | The word murus also refers to "a barrier", "defense", "protection", or "fortress" and comes from an Indo-European root meaning "to defend". |
| Latvian | The word "sienas" also means "fences" or "sides" in Latvian. |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "siena" is also used to refer to a fence or a barrier, and it is related to the word "sienis", which means "border" or "boundary". |
| Luxembourgish | "Mauer" in Luxembourgish can also refer to a boundary marker or a fortification, such as a castle wall. |
| Macedonian | The word 'wallид' could also refer to a defensive building or a large fence made of stone or brick. |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word “rindrina” can also refer to the outer skin or crust of something, such as fruit. |
| Malay | The word "dinding" also refers to a "rib" in the body or a "side" of something, showcasing the concept of "boundary" or "separation" in its etymology. |
| Malayalam | 'മതിൽ' ('wall') is derived from the Sanskrit word 'mathula', meaning 'stronghold' or 'fort'. |
| Maltese | Maltese "ħajt" (wall) comes from the Arabic word "hayṭ" (also meaning "wall"), and is cognate with English "hedge" and Russian "забор" (zabor). |
| Maori | The word |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "भिंत" comes from the Sanskrit word "भित्ति" (bhitti), which also means "wall". |
| Mongolian | The word "хана" is derived from the Turkic "khana" or "qana" meaning "fortified city". |
| Nepali | The word “भित्ता” can also mean the internal surface of a body or hollow space and is related to Sanskrit “bhitti” meaning 'to fix' or 'to establish'. |
| Norwegian | The word "vegg" in Norwegian also refers to a "slope" or "incline" in landscape. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word 'khoma' or 'koma' originated from 'kuma,' which meant to surround. |
| Pashto | The word "دیوال" in Pashto also refers to a boundary or a partition. |
| Persian | The word "دیوار" ("wall") can also refer to someone who separates people or prevents them from interacting with each other in Persian. |
| Polish | The word "ściana" can also refer to a "cliff" or a "barrier". |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word "parede" originally meant "defense", and is related to the Spanish word "pared" and the Latin word "parare", meaning "to prepare or make ready." |
| Punjabi | The word 'ਕੰਧ' (kandh) also means 'shoulder' in Punjabi, highlighting the shared concept of a supporting structure. |
| Romanian | The word "perete" in Romanian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*perta", meaning "partition" or "barrier" |
| Russian | "Стена" (wall) comes from the Old Slavic word "stena", which meant "fence" or "barrier". |
| Samoan | The Samoan word |
| Scots Gaelic | Balla, pronounced "bulla" and often anglicized to "bal" or "ball", can also mean a "fence" or "farm enclosure". |
| Serbian | In Serbian, 'зид' ('zid') can also refer to a 'fence' or a 'barrier'. |
| Sesotho | The word "lebota" in Sesotho can also refer to a protective structure, such as a fence or a barricade. |
| Shona | The word 'rusvingo' can also mean 'boundary' or 'edge'. |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, 'ڀت' can also refer to a 'fort' or a 'boundary' |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word "බිත්තිය" (wall) in Sinhala shares its roots with the Sanskrit word "vetti," which means "to encompass." |
| Slovak | The word "stena" has a Proto-Balto-Slavic origin and cognates in many other languages, such as English "stone", Polish "ściana", and Russian "стена". |
| Slovenian | The word |
| Somali | The Somali word "derbiga" may also refer to a fortified fence or a rampart. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "pared" (wall) also means "paired" in English, suggesting its role in dividing spaces. |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "témbok" can also refer to a fortification or enclosure. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "ukuta" comes from the Proto-Bantu word "*kuta", which means "to enclose" or "to fence off." |
| Swedish | In Swedish, 'vägg' also refers to the side of a boat or a ship's plank. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "pader" is cognate with the Malay word "padang" and the Indonesian word "pagar", meaning "fence". |
| Tajik | The word "девор" in Tajik likely derives from the Persian word "دیوار" (dīvār), which also means "wall". |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'சுவர்' originates from the Proto-Dravidian word '*cur-' meaning 'to enclose' and also relates to the Sanskrit word 'चतुर्' ('catúr') meaning 'four,' implying the four walls of a room. |
| Telugu | The word "గోడ" ("wall") in Telugu is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *koḍi, meaning "fence" or "defense." |
| Thai | ผนัง is derived from the Proto-Austroasiatic "*panaŋ" and Proto-Mon-Khmer "*pənaŋ" meaning "partition, wall". |
| Turkish | In some contexts, |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "стіна" also refers to various structures like dams, fences, embankments, or a row of people or objects. |
| Urdu | The word |
| Uzbek | The word "devor" in Uzbek is cognate with the Persian word "diwar", both meaning "wall". |
| Vietnamese | The character tường can also refer to partitions (e.g. of cubicles) or to screens. |
| Welsh | Welsh "wal" can also refer to a defensive rampart or the side of a ship. |
| Xhosa | In Xhosa, 'udonga' can also refer to a boundary or enclosure, emphasizing its protective or separating function beyond just a physical structure. |
| Yiddish | וואַנט" is also the Yiddish word for "mole," possibly related to the Old English "want." This may reflect the pale color of the animal and the light color of earth excavated to build a wall. |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "odi" not only means "wall" but also refers to a boundary, a fence, or a barrier. |
| Zulu | The word 'udonga' can also mean 'the side of a mountain' or 'a vertical cliff'. |
| English | "Wall" comes from the Latin "vallum," which originally meant "stake" and later "rampart" or "fortification." |