Etymology: Old English dæl, genitive dæles, dative dæle, plural dalu, dalo, neuter; Common Germanic = Old Saxon dal, Old Frisian del, deil, Middle Dutch and Dutch dal, all neuter, Old High German, Middle High German tal, masculine and neuter, German thal, neuter, Low German dal, dâl, Gothic dal, neuter, Old Norse dalr, masculine (Swedish, Danish dal) < Old Germanic dalo-m, dalo-z, of which the root-meaning appears to be ‘deep or low place’: compare Gothic dalaþ down, dalaþa below. As used in Middle English the native word appears to have been reinforced from Norse, for it is in the north that the word is a living geographical name. As to the final e in Ormin's dăle, see Sachse Unorganische E im Orrm. 22. The form deales plural in Ancren Riwle is difficult to explain.

Etymology: The northern phonetic variant of dole n.¹ < Old English dál part, portion, division, allotment, dealing, dole; compare northern hale , stane = standard English whole , stone . Used esp. in the following senses; for others see dole n.¹

Etymology: Corresponds in sense 1 to Low German and Dutch daal; also to French dalle, which is also used for a conduit-tube of wood or metal used in various technical processes, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian dala, Spanish also adala. According to Littré dalle in Picard is also a kitchen-sink; and Cotgrave has ‘dalle, a sewer or pit whereinto the washings, dishwater, and other such ordure of houses are conueyed’. See Littré and Diez.