dale

Pronunciation

• IPA: /deɪl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English dæl (“valley, gorge”) (before 899, in Alfred's Orosius),^[2][3][4] from *dalaz,^[3][2] cognate with Old Saxon and Dutch dal, German Tal, Old Norse dalr and Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌻 (dal).^[2][3][4] Barnhart and Merriam-Webster link it with Ancient Greek θόλος (thólos), round building, and Old Church Slavonic долъ (dolŭ), pit, from a root meaning something curved or hollow;^[2][5][3] Hoad thinks the relations doubtful.^[4] It is related to dell.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A valley: about 893.^[7] A hole in the ground or pit is an older, obsolete sense (before 800).^[7]

Semantic evolution

The word was reinforced in Middle English by Old Norse dalr^[4] and was preserved by Norse influence in the north of England,^[3] where it is the usual name of a river valley.^[7] It is common in place names, as the Yorkshire Dales.^[2][7] Dalesman is a derivative.^[3]

Timeline

• before 800 – a hollow, pit.^[7]
• c. 893 – a valley.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An open valley, especially in northern England.

Related words

• dollar
• dell
• dalesman

Usage notes

Collins notes that dale is used especially of valleys among low hills.^[8] An old Scottish dale, a share or portion of land, belongs to the word deal.^[7][5]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins