*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of baal

Etymology tree Biblical Hebrew בַּעַל (báʿal)bor. Ancient Greek Βᾰ́ᾰλ (Bắăl)bor. Late Latin Baalder. Proto-Semitic *baʕl- Phoenician 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (bʿl)der. Proto-Semitic *baʕl- Ugaritic 𐎁𐎓𐎍 (baʿlu)der. English Baal English

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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 ↗
noun

A false deity or idol. · A Catholic or Orthodox icon of a saint.

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

Etymology tree Biblical Hebrew בַּעַל (báʿal)bor. Ancient Greek Βᾰ́ᾰλ (Bắăl)bor. Late Latin Baalder. Proto-Semitic *baʕl- Phoenician 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (bʿl)der. Proto-Semitic *baʕl- Ugaritic 𐎁𐎓𐎍 (baʿlu)der. English Baal English baal From Baal.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": ":from",
        "3": "Baal",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nBiblical Hebrew בַּעַל (báʿal)bor.\nAncient Greek Βᾰ́ᾰλ (Bắăl)bor.\nLate Latin Baalder.\nProto-Semitic *baʕl-\nPhoenician 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (bʿl)der.\nProto-Semitic *baʕl-\nUgaritic 𐎁𐎓𐎍 (baʿlu)der.\nEnglish Baal\nEnglish baal\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"transliteration\" : \"báʿal\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Biblical Hebrew\", \"term\" : \"בַּעַל\", \"status\" : \"ambiguous\", \"lang\" : \"hbo\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"Βᾰ́ᾰλ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Late Latin\", \"term\" : \"Baal\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la-lat\" }, { \"transliteration\" : \"bʿl\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Semitic\", \"term\" : \"*baʕl-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"sem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Phoenician\", \"term\" : \"𐤁𐤏𐤋\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"phn\" }, { \"transliteration\" : \"baʿlu\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : [ \"sem-pro\" ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Semitic\", \"term\" : \"*baʕl-\", \"lang\" : \"sem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ugaritic\", \"term\" : \"𐎁𐎓𐎍\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"uga\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Baal\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"baal\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"baal\">\nFrom Baal."
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      "בַּעַל",
      "בעל#Hebrew"
    ],
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      "Βάαλ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "𐤁𐤏𐤋#Phoenician"
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A false deity or idol.",
        "A Catholic or Orthodox icon of a saint."
      ],
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        "derogatory",
        "obsolete"
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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 baal →

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-YmFhbA