IN GREEK
χαλάλι
chalali
freely given, well deserved (χαλάλι σου)
IN TURKISH
helal
helal
religiously permitted; deserved (helal olsun)
WEAR THE WORD
χαλάλι in blue ink and helal in red, on a T shirt, a tote or a mug.
THE RECORD
- LENT BY, BORROWED BY
- Turkish to Greek
- STARTED IN
- Arabic
- CATEGORY
- People and family
- HOW THE MEANING DRIFTED
- Greek has lost the religious sense and uses it only in blessing expressions.
- NOTES
- Reached Greek through Turkish.
COMMENTS
An editor reads every comment before it appears.
SOURCES
- Nişanyan Sözlük (checked online) Triantafyllidis (Λεξικό της Κοινής Νεοελληνικής)
Etymologies are checked against the dictionaries and studies listed. An entry is stamped settled only when both the Greek and the Turkish side have been checked. Research for this ledger was compiled with AI assistance and reviewed by the editors.
HOW TO CITE THIS ENTRY
Gold, K. (ed.) (2026) ‘χαλάλι / helal’, entry 281, Defter ή Tefteri: a ledger of shared Greek and Turkish words. https://defteritefteri.com/en/w/281-chalali/. Accessed [day month year].