Serbo-Croatian entry gives false Turkish etymology: There are possible Armenian/Persian and Greek cognates AL and LAMIA/Λαμια, both mythical "children eating" demons. Language contacts with Turks are much later, so probably there should be some PIE root, probably *lem or *lam with reconstructed meaning of "nocturnal spirit" http://books.google.com/books?id=kGUWu_91kOUC&pg=PA400&lpg=PA400&dq=proto+indo+european+nocturnal+spirit&source=bl&ots=Y7D0yLa1No&sig=8cdhG6L7FnmaWjEIXYwqp7rLjVo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wVV7T7XOBYPq0gGrzqynBg&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Also, there is w:Ala (demon)#Etymology and w:Ala (demon)#Origin which suggest a Proto-Slavic origin, and/or support the position of a common PIE root.
- If you have a good etymology, put it in. —Stephen (Talk) 21:46, 3 April 2012 (UTC)