schaal

Schaal is a Dutch noun with several related meanings. The most common sense is a shallow, bowl‑shaped container used for serving, mixing, or holding food and other items. Schalen vary widely in size and material, including ceramic, glass, metal, and wood, and they are found in households, kitchens, and dining settings. In everyday use, the term covers everything from a small dessert bowl to a large serving bowl, and the plural schalen refers to multiple bowls.

In addition to food-related uses, schaal also appears in non‑culinary contexts to denote a scale or level, for example op een schaal van 1 tot 10 (on a scale from 1 to 10) or op grote schaal (on a large scale). In mathematics, statistics, and design, schaal describes the size, degree, or proportion of something relative to a reference.

The word is of Germanic origin and has cognates in related languages, such as German Schale. In Dutch, schaal forms many compound terms, including weegschaal for a weighing scale and schaalverdeling for a scale or distribution. The plural schalen is used for both bowls and scales in many compounds. Usage can vary regionally within the Dutch-speaking areas of the Netherlands and Flanders.

See also: schotel, kom, weegschaal, schaalverdeling, op grote schaal.