English word origin

Etymology of Dalí

From Catalan Dalí, possibly from dalí (“stick for fording”), from Arabic دَلِيل (dalīl, “sign, guide”).

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Catalan. · Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), Spanish artist.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Catalan Dalí, possibly from dalí (“stick for fording”), from Arabic دَلِيل (dalīl, “sign, guide”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionDalíca
Derivation mentionدَلِيلar
Root classification mentionد ل لar

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ca",
        "3": "Dalí"
      },
      "expansion": "Catalan Dalí"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "دَلِيل",
        "4": "",
        "5": "sign, guide"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic دَلِيل (dalīl, “sign, guide”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "د ل ل"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Dalí",
      "Dalí#Catalan"
    ],
    [
      "dalí",
      "dalí#Catalan"
    ],
    [
      "دَلِيل",
      "دليل#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Catalan.",
        "Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), Spanish artist."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "4c9a5fe6c35ddd2263669f75576062aca891fb97bdecdc0efd158150cc4c198f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "62f5050b1d12f3d64ba670125dc9d99cc3c114d937076f264bbed84c11feac5d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 5718283
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Dalí →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-RGFsw60