Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In Norway, language: a term occurring in several compounds of some historic note, as maalstraæv, ‘the language struggle,’ namely, the struggle to substitute the landsmaal, or ‘popular speech,’ as partly normalized by Aasen in his grammar (1848) and dictionary (1858 and 1873), in place of the rigsmaal, or ‘national speech,’ the literary Norwegian, nearly identical with Danish.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • If he did not have the "maal", the wiry and glib 30-something was sure to produce it within 24 hours with help from friends in Sunauli or Bhairanwa on the Nepal border.

    The Times of India 2008

  • Ja ' maal Buster was the self-described eyelash guru to the stars.

    Ridiculous Wedding Planning Marshall Heyman 2010

  • For fear of hurting the feelings of either party, I shall abstain from setting down what I heard: but I may say as much as this -- that the party of reform ended by declaring the maal [6] to be the only proper speech of Norway, while their opponents maintained the same of their language.

    The South Pole~ A Day at Framheim 2009

  • I kept saying “maal,” and they kept asking me to repeat it, and then giggled hysterically each time I did so.

    THE WHITE TIGER Aravind Adiga 2008

  • Andrei Sokolovi maal ja ka illustratsioonid jutule oleksid võimaldanud enamat.

    Valentina Kutsenko «Океан» Ulmeguru 2008

  • Me arutasime siis seda, et ka Libeeria vajab inimesi ja tegelikult on ka sellel maal lootust saada õiglaseks kohaks, kui seal elavad inimesed seda väga tahavad.

    tatsutahime Diary Entry tatsutahime 2008

  • Kõik ütlevad "Toscana on kõige ilusam piirkond meie maal" ja neil on õigus.

    tatsutahime Diary Entry tatsutahime 2008

  • Kas mitte just seepärast, et igaüks saaks vabalt tähistada omaenese emakeele laulutuules taevani tõusmist ning seda, et siin maal enam ühtegi inimest ei keelata tema emakeeles rääkimast?

    tatsutahime Diary Entry tatsutahime 2008

  • Kui aga teha neist piltidest kasvõi pealiskaudne pingerida, siis ülalpool olev Frank Frazetta maal on selles nimekirjas vaieldamatu liider – nii taseme, sisukuse, kui kultuslikkuse poolest.

    Conan – Frank Frazetta nägemus Ulmeguru 2007

  • Liberman informs us that the word "sex" goes back to 1382 -- "Of alle thingis hauynge sowle of ony flehs, two thow shalt brynge into the ark, that maal sex and femaal lyuen with thee" -- but the first use of it to refer to "genital pleasure" is in this D.H.

    Archive 2007-06-01 Ann Althouse 2007

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