Baal

See also: Appendix:Variations of "baal"

English

Alternative forms

• Baʿal, Ba'al
• Baʻl

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪəl/, /ˈbeɪl/, /ˈbɑːl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪəl/, /ˈbeɪl/, /ˈbɑl/, /bɑˈɑl/
• Rhymes: -eɪəl, -eɪl, -ɑːl
• Homophones: bael (UK); bail, bale; boll (some US speakers); ball, bawl (cot–caught merger)

Proper noun

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.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Kings 18:25–26:

     25 And Eliiah said vnto the prophets of Baal, Chuse you one bullocke for your selues, and dresse it first, for yee are many: and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire vnder.
     26 And they took the bullocke which was giuen them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning, euen vntil noone, saying, O Baal, heare vs. But there was no voyce, nor any that answered: And they leapt vpon the altar which was made.

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.

Usage notes

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.

Derived terms

• Baal-gad
• Baalism, Baalist
• Baalite
• Baalzebub

Related terms

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

Translations

deity

• Arabic: بَعْل (ar) m (baʕl)
• Aramaic: בעל (bʾl)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 巴力 (zh) (Bālì)

• Comorian:

  Maore Comorian: Ɓaali

• Esperanto: Baalo
• German: Baal (de) m
• Greek: Βάαλ (el) m (Váal)

  Ancient Greek: Βάαλ m (Báal)

• Hebrew: בעל (he) (Ba'al)
• Japanese: バアル (Baaru), バール (ja) (Bāru)
• Kazakh: Бағал (Bağal)
• Korean: 바알 (Baal)
• Marathi: बाल m (bāl)
• Persian: بعل (fa) (ba'l)
• Polish: Baal (pl) m
• Portuguese: Baal (pt) m
• Russian: Ваа́л (ru) m (Vaál)
• Scottish Gaelic: Bàal m
• Swedish: Baal (sv)
• Tajik: Баъл (Ba'l)
• Thai: บาอัล
• Urdu: بعل m (ba'l)
• Uzbek: Baʼl
• Vietnamese: Ba-an, Ba-anh, Ba Anh

Anagrams

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

Dutch

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

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

Proper noun

Baal n

1. a hamlet in Lingewaard, Gelderland, Netherlands

Derived terms

• Klein Baal

References

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

German

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːl/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Proper noun

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

1. Baal (Semitic heathen god)

Hunsrik

Alternative forms

• paal (Wiesemann spelling)

Etymology

Borrowed from French bal.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

Baal m (plural Beel)

1. ball (formal dance)

Derived terms

• baale

References

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

Italian

Proper noun

Baal m

1. Baal

Anagrams

• Alba, alba

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Proper noun

Baal m (indeclinable)

1. Baal

Anagrams

• alba

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew בעל.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈba.al/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aal
• Syllabification: Ba‧al

Proper noun

Baal m pers

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

Declension

Declension of Baal

	singular
nominative	Baal
genitive	Baala
dative	Baalowi
accusative	Baala
instrumental	Baalem
locative	Baalu
vocative	Baalu

Derived terms

noun

• baalizm

Further reading

• Baal in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Saterland Frisian

n Baal (1).

n Baal (2).

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

Baal m (plural Bale)

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

Derived terms

• Foutbaal

References

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

Swedish

Proper noun

Baal (genitive Baals)

1. Baal (Phoenician deity)
   • 2000, 1973 års bibelkommission, “Andra Kungaboken [2 Kings] 10:28”, in Bibel 2000‎^[1], © Svenska Bibelsällskapet, accessed at Bible.com, archived from the original on 4 October 2025:

     Så fördrev Jehu Baal från Israel.

     Thus Jehu drove away Baal from Israel.

References

• Baal in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)