Etymology 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.
1
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music 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.1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
2
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Sometimes syllable for both the third and the sixth.
Etymology 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”).
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Represents the sound of music or singing.
"La la la la, I can't hear you!" Jimmy said, sticking his fingers in his ears.
The only part Lucy had to sing was the interlude, which was a bunch of la la la's, and the last verse of the song, which was only four lines, and the chorus, which was just as short.2019, Keira Brown, Between the Lines: Never in Plain Sight:
Derived terms
La-La Land
la
adj
Etymology From French la, Italian la.
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Ironic, Often Prefixed to the name of a woman, with ironic effect (as though an opera prima donna).
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.2007 November 22, Kate Carter, “Graziawatch”, in The Guardian:
By judicious leaking, he also managed to make la Kirkpatrick and her associates look rather unsavory.2010, Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22, Atlantic, published 2011, page 232:
1 more example
(You have to wonder where la Wintour finds the time for all this styling: maybe it's a displacement activity to fill the void left by her failure to get the Democratic party into power?)2025 June 21, Jo Ellison, “The Bezos merger we all want a piece of”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 22:
la
particle
Hong-Kong /lɑː˥/
Etymology From Cantonese 啦 (laa¹). Doublet of lah.
1
Hong Kong, Colloquial Placed at the end of a sentence in imperatives making it sound more like a request than an order.
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.1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
“Oh, la! here come the Richardsons. I had a vast deal more to say to you, but I must not stay away from them any longer.”1811, [Jane Austen], chapter 2, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume III, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
1 more example
"La, William, don't be so highty-tighty with us. We're not men. We can't fight you," Miss Jane said.1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC: