name
Meaning 1
A king of the tribes of Huns.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
Attila
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American: /əˈtɪlə/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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/əˈtɪlə/
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CMU ARPABET: AH0 T IH1 L AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A short, fringed cape worn as part of traditional Hungarian costume.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Any of the tropical flycatchers of the genus Attila.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
king of the Huns; the most successful barbarian invader of the Roman Empire (406-453)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Attila the Hun, Scourge of God, Scourge of the Gods
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: king, male monarch, Rex
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἀττίλα (Attíla), of uncertain further origin. Traditionally thought to have been derived from East Germanic, such as a Gothic *𐌰𐍄𐍄𐌹𐌻𐌰 (*attila, literally “little father”), from 𐌰𐍄𐍄𐌰 (atta, “father”) + -𐌹𐌻𐌰 (-ila). Displaced native Old English Ætla. A more recent explanation by Bonnman-Fries (2025) suggests a Yeniseian origin, specifically an Arinic language. The proper name is explained as deriving from a Common Yeniseian adjective complex *atɨ-λa (“quite swift, quite fast”); see there for more. Compare also Bactrian Χιγγιλο (Khingilo), Brahmi 𑀔𑀺𑀗𑁆𑀕𑀺𑀮 (Khiṇgila), the name of a leader of the Alchon Huns, which could prove that the diminutive -ila is of Hunnic origin.
Across languages
Translations
17 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Faroese: Atli — Translations
- German: Attila — Translations
- German: Etzel — Translations
- Old High German: Azzilo — Translations
- Middle High German: Ezzele — Translations
- Greek: Αττίλας (Attílas) — Translations
- Ancient Greek: Ἀττίλα (Attíla) — Translations
- Icelandic: Atli — Translations
- Norwegian Nynorsk: Atle — Translations
- Norwegian Nynorsk: Asle — Translations
- Norwegian Nynorsk: Atl — Translations
- Norwegian Nynorsk: Alt — Translations
- Old English: Ætla — Translations
- Old Norse: Atli — Translations
- Swedish: Atle — Translations
- Swedish: Attila — Translations
- Hungarian: atilla — short, fringed cape worn as part of the Hungarian traditional costume
Real reading context