Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dale” come from?

Dale comes from Middle English dale, Old English dæl, Proto-Germanic dailiz, and Proto-Indo-European dʰol-, a root of uncertain original meaning.

dale (English): A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area; A...

Definitions

  1. A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area; A...

Ancestry of “dale”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishdaleA dale or valley; A hole or barrow
2Old Englishdælpart; valley
3Proto-West Germanicdailipart
4Proto-Germanicdailizpart, portion, deal
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰayl-part, watershed

Words derived from “dale”

  • Tweeddale
  • dalesman
  • rundale
  • daleside
  • Tindall
  • Tyndall stone
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰayl- →