A dale is an open valley. ''Dale'' is a synonym of the word '' valley''. The name is used when describing the

physical geography Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, ...

of an area. It is used most frequently in the

Lowlands of Scotland The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Low ...

and in the North of England; the term " fell" commonly refers to the mountains or

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as ...

s that flank the dale.

Etymology

The word ''dale'' comes from the Old English word ''dæl'', from which the word "

dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), Server (computin ...

" is also derived. It is also related to Old Norse word ''dalr'' (and the modern Icelandic word ''dalur''), which may perhaps have influenced its survival in northern England. The Germanic origin is assumed to be *''dala-''. ''Dal-'' in various combinations is common in placenames in Norway. Modern English valley and French vallée are presumably not related to dale. A distant relative of ''dale'' is currency unit dollar, stemming from German ''thaler'' or ''daler'', short for

joachimsthaler A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter of ...

coins manufactured in the town of Joachimsthal in Bohemia.Falk, Hjalmar (1991). ''Etymologisk ordbog over det norske og det danske sprog.'' Oslo: Bjørn Ringstrøms antikvariat. . The word is perhaps related to Welsh ''dol'' (meadow, pasture, valley), Russian ''dol'' (valley, reverse side) and Serbian/Croatian/Bulgarian/Russian ''dolina'' (basin, '' doline'' is a geological term for certain surface depressions in

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ...

areas). There is semantic equivalency to many words and phrases, suggesting a common Indo-European affinity. Vale and

thalweg In geography and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Under international law, a thalweg is the middle of the primary navigable channel of a waterway that defines the boun ...

are also related.

Examples

The following are several examples of major dales that have the name dale. The river name is usually appended with "-dale". There are also many smaller dales; this is not an exhaustive list (see dale (place name element) for more). *

Airedale Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley or dale of the River Aire. The valley stretches from the river's origin in Aire Head Springs, Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Skipton ...

(Yorkshire) * Annandale (Dumfries & Galloway) *

Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the u ...

(Yorkshire) *

Clydesdale Clydesdale is an archaic name for Lanarkshire, a traditional county in Scotland. The name may also refer to: Sports * Clydesdale F.C., a former football club in Glasgow * Clydesdale RFC, Glasgow, a former rugby union club * Clydesdale RFC, Sout ...

(Lanarkshire) *

Coquetdale The River Coquet runs through the county of Northumberland, England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast at Amble. It rises in the Cheviot Hills on the border between England and Scotland, and follows a winding course across th ...

(Northumberland) * Eskdale (Cumbria) * Eskdale (Dumfries & Galloway) * Eskdale (Yorkshire) * Lauderdale (Scottish Borders) * Lonsdale (or Lunesdale, valley of the

Lune Lune may refer to: Rivers * River Lune, in Lancashire and Cumbria, England * River Lune, Durham, in County Durham, England * Lune (Weser), a 43 km-long tributary of the Weser in Germany * Lune River (Tasmania), in south-eastern Tasmania, Australia ...

, Lancashire-Cumbria) *

Nithsdale Nithsdale (''Srath Nid'' in Scottish Gaelic), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost t ...

(Dumfries & Galloway) *

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Boroug ...

(Greater Manchester) * Rosendale Village (New York) *

Teesdale Teesdale is a dale, or valley, in Northern England. The dale is in the River Tees’s drainage basin, most water flows stem from or converge into said river, including the Skerne and Leven. Upper Teesdale, more commonly just Teesdale, fall ...

(Durham) *

Tweeddale Tweeddale (Scottish Gaelic: ''Srath Thuaidh/Tuaidhdail'') is a committee area and lieutenancy area in the Scottish Borders council area in south-eastern Scotland. It had also been a province in the Middle Ages. From 1975 to 1996 it was a local go ...

(Scottish Borders) *

Tynedale __NOTOC__ Tynedale is an area and former local government district in south-west Northumberland, England. The district had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 Census. Its main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe. ...

(Northumberland) *

Weardale Weardale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second-largest AONB in England and Wales. T ...

(Durham) *

Wensleydale Wensleydale is the dale or upper valley of the River Ure on the east side of the Pennines, one of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of only a few Yorkshire Dales not currently named after its principal river, but th ...

(or Yoredale, valley of the Ure, Yorkshire) * Wuppertal ( North Rhine-Westphalia)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dale (Origin) Landforms Bodies of water Slope landforms Valleys