*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dale

From Middle English dale, from Old English dæl, from Proto-West Germanic *dal, from Proto-Germanic *dalą.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area. · The sunken or grooved portion of the surface of a vinyl record.

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

From Middle English dale, from Old English dæl, from Proto-West Germanic *dal, from Proto-Germanic *dalą.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiondaleenm
  • Inherited-form mentiondælang
  • Inherited-form mention*dalgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*dalągem-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dale"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dale"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dæl"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dæl"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*dal"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *dal"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*dalą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *dalą"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dale",
      "dale#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dæl",
      "dæl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dal",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/dal"
    ],
    [
      "*dalą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dalą"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A valley, often in an otherwise hilly area.",
        "The sunken or grooved portion of the surface of a vinyl record."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "a0e64b09464bd22bfa577a5bb4691cc2a22cc463ecb10dfc5a8e42a882257e06",
      "rawRecordSha256": "241283c5c52e4994002b309f315a59a4b68d9f3f75dabae6e23c828bc2566c1e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 192690
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A trough or spout to carry off water, as from a pump.

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

Related to Low German daal or Dutch daal (“lowers, descends”) and French dalle (“trough; conduit”). Attested in English since the seventeenth century.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Cognate mentiondaalnds
  • Cognate mentiondaalnl · lowers, descends
  • Cognate mentiondallefr · trough; conduit
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "daal"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German daal"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "daal",
        "t": "lowers, descends"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch daal (“lowers, descends”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "dalle",
        "t": "trough; conduit"
      },
      "expansion": "French dalle (“trough; conduit”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "daal",
      "daal#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "daal",
      "daal#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "dalle",
      "dalle#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A trough or spout to carry off water, as from a pump."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "9daeb73c2fff1a80d21323c0fbd56d2da5fb8b5c2bff292fd629037753e29b52",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b02d6d99580ad87462df97664c3aca738406bb7271b7c60fe784a51f6443aaa8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 192691
    }
  ],
  "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 dale →

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-ZGFsZQ