Baal

• Baʿal, Ba'al
• Baʻl

From Late Latin Baal (as in the Vulgate) and Ancient Greek Βάαλ (Báal); from Hebrew בַּעַל (bá`al, “lord, husband, owner”), Phoenician 𐤁𐤏𐤋 (bʿl, “lord, master, owner”) and Ugaritic 𐎁𐎓𐎍 (baʿlu, “lord, owner”), all from Proto-Semitic *baʿl- (“owner, lord, husband”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪəl/, /ˈbeɪl/, /ˈbɑːl/^[1][2]
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪəl/, /ˈbeɪl/, /ˈbɑl/, /bɑˈɑl/^[3][4]
• Rhymes: -eɪəl, -eɪl, -ɑːl
• Homophones: bail, bale; boll (some US speakers); ball, bawl (some US speakers)

Baal (countable and uncountable, plural Baals or Baalim)

1. (mythology, biblical) A storm and fertility god of the Phoenician and Canaanite pantheons, reckoned as chief of the gods by the 1st millennium BC.
2. (mythology, biblical, sometimes lowercase) Various other Baalim, understood as distinct patron gods or as local patron aspects the great god Baal.
3. (Christianity) One of the demons or fallen angels of Satan.

The latinized spelling and anglicized pronunciation is still used for the expanded senses, but modern scholarship increasingly notes the ayin of the original name by spelling it Baʿal or Ba'al and pronouncing it more in line with the original Hebrew form. Misunderstood as a solar deity by 19th century scholarship; misunderstood as a collective term for various patron gods by 19th and 20th century scholarship prior to the discovery of inscriptions at Ugarit showing these to have been understood as aspects of a single divinity, whose worship gradually supplanted that of El. These aspects are sometimes distinguished by epithets: Baalberith, Beelzebub, Beelzebul, etc.

The Hebraic plural Baalim is particularly used for its appearances in the Bible, where it may refer to gods or idols of the god. The anglicized plural is more common in other contexts.

• Bel
• Beelzebub, Beelzebul
• Baal-Shem-Tov

• AABL, Alba, Bala, LABA, alba, blaa, laab

First attested as barla around 850. Compound of bar (“barren, bare”) and lo (“light forest”). Compare Baarle-Hertog, Baarle-Nassau, Baarlo, Bahr, Barlo and Hoog-Baarlo.

• IPA^(key): /baːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Baal
• Rhymes: -aːl
• Homophone: baal

Baal n

1. a hamlet in Lingewaard, Gelderland, Netherlands

• Klein Baal

• van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN

From Latin Baal, from Ancient Greek Βάαλ (Báal), from Hebrew בַּעַל (baʿal), from Proto-Semitic *baʿl-.

• IPA^(key): /baːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Baal m (strong, genitive Baals or (optionally with an article) Baal or Baales, plural Baale or Baalim)

1. Baal (Semitic heathen god)

• paal (Wiesemann spelling)

Borrowed from French bal.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔːl/
• Rhymes: -ɔːl
• Syllabification: Baal

Baal m (plural Beel)

1. ball (formal dance)

• André Kuster-Cid, Eduardo Fausto Kuster Cid (2018) “baile”, in Dicionário renano-hunsrik: português (in Portuguese), Vitória: Cousa, →ISBN, page 30, column 1
• Piter Kehoma Boll (2021) “Baal”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português (in Portuguese), 3rd edition, Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch, page 17, column 2

Baal m

1. Baal

• Alba, alba

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Βάαλ (Báal), from Biblical Hebrew בַּעַל (Báʿal), from Proto-Semitic *baʿl-.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈba.aɫ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈbaː.al]

Baal m (indeclinable)

1. Baal

• alba

Borrowed from Hebrew בעל.

• IPA^(key): /ˈba.al/
• Rhymes: -aal
• Syllabification: Ba‧al

Baal m pers

1. (mythology, biblical) Baal (storm and fertility god of the Phoenician and Canaanite pantheons)
2. (figuratively) false god

• Baal in Polish dictionaries at PWN

From Old Frisian *bal, from Proto-West Germanic *ballu, from Proto-Germanic *balluz. Cognates include West Frisian bal and German Ball.

The sense "social gathering for dancing" is a semantic loan from German Ball, from French bal.

• IPA^(key): /baːl/
• Hyphenation: Baal
• Rhymes: -aːl

Baal m (plural Bale)

1. ball (round object)
2. ball (social gathering for dancing)

• Marron C. Fort (2015) “Baal”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Baal (genitive Baals)

1. Baal (Phoenician deity)
   • 1999 November 17, 1973 års bibelkommission, “Andra Kungaboken 10:28”, in Bibel 2000‎^[1], © Svenska Bibelsällskapet, accessed at Bible.com, archived from the original on 16 July 2025:

     Så fördrev Jehu Baal från Israel.

     Thus Jehu drove away Baal from Israel.

• Baal in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)