*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of yale

Possibly derived from Hebrew יָעֵל (ya'el, “mountain goat”). Compare Latin eale.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
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 mythical beast in European mythology and heraldry, usually portrayed as an antelope- or goatlike four-legged creature with large horns that it can swivel in any direction.

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

Possibly derived from Hebrew יָעֵל (ya'el, “mountain goat”). Compare Latin eale.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "he",
        "3": "יָעֵל",
        "4": "",
        "5": "mountain goat",
        "tr": "ya'el"
      },
      "expansion": "Hebrew יָעֵל (ya'el, “mountain goat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "eale"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin eale"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "יָעֵל",
      "יעל#Hebrew"
    ],
    [
      "eale",
      "eale#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A mythical beast in European mythology and heraldry, usually portrayed as an antelope- or goatlike four-legged creature with large horns that it can swivel in any direction."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "2b980532f45a9126ba6af8159457ce8af2d4bc0c0c14e3eb3d287db88e6635f4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "51a01bd013747a0cf7bf2a9a0cb07ab7776501307d41104d26725583845964c4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4682216
    }
  ],
  "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 yale →

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-eWFsZQ