A dale is a valley, especially a broad, gentle valley with a stream running through it. The word is most common in northern England and Scotland, where you'll find places with names like Ribblesdale or Borrowdale.

When you picture a dale, imagine rolling green hillsides sloping down to a peaceful valley floor where sheep graze and a small river winds through meadows. Dales are gentler and wider than steep mountain valleys or narrow gorges. They're the kind of valleys where people have farmed and raised livestock for centuries because the land is fertile and protected from harsh winds.

You might encounter this word in British poetry and literature, or when reading about the English countryside. The famous Yorkshire Dales in northern England are a perfect example: a beautiful landscape of broad valleys, stone walls, and small villages that has looked much the same for hundreds of years.