dale English · revision 10662

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 893|origins=ang dæl}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /deɪl/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|ang|dæl|t=valley, gorge]] (before 899, in Alfred's Orosius),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[m|gem-pro|*dalaz]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) cognate with Old Saxon and Dutch dal, German Tal, Old Norse dalr and Gothic dal.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) Barnhart and Merriam-Webster link it with Greek thólos, round building, and Old Church Slavonic dolŭ, pit, from a root meaning something curved or hollow;^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline) Hoad thinks the relations doubtful.^(Hoad 1986) It is related to [[dell]].^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A valley: about 893.^(OED 1989) A hole in the ground or pit is an older, obsolete sense (before 800).^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word was reinforced in Middle English by Old Norse dalr^(Hoad 1986) and was preserved by Norse influence in the north of England,^(Etymonline) where it is the usual name of a river valley.^(OED 1989) It is common in place names, as the Yorkshire Dales.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) ''Dalesman'' is a derivative.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 800 – a hollow, pit.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 893 – a valley.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An open [[valley]], especially in northern England.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dollar]]

+ * [[dell]]

+ * [[dalesman]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Collins notes that dale is used especially of valleys among low hills.^(Collins 2023) An old Scottish dale, a share or portion of land, belongs to the word [[deal]].^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}