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Re: Name meaning
in reply to a message by Donna
Lila can also be a variation of Leila, which is where the 'Night' meaning comes from.It can also be a variation of Lilah, which as well as being a variation of Leela and Leila, is Hebrew for Lilac.

ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

This message was edited 4/18/2006, 8:11 AM

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Just to add to the above, in Indian languages I know, lIlA is a quite common name and word, and means antics or play in Sanskrit, though the etymology is unclear. The word is often applied to the antics of divine beings as children or young men, or to the nature of the world viewed as divine sport. The feminine name from antiquity lIlAvatI, playful, is probably shortened to get the modern lIlA.The Arabic name lAYlA meaning night is also well known because of the 12th century romance with Majnu(n) described by Nizam, but it is pronounced very differently (sort of la-ye-la rather than lee-la). In most cultures in India the word lAYlA can be used eponymously for the well loved (of the love-mad majnu) and evoke a doomed romance, though not as night. If the name is really from modern India, and it is written Lila, it probably refers to the Sanskrit word and not the Arabic word.
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