Etymograph

English

valley

Valley comes from Anglo-Norman valey and Old French valee, from Latin vallis ‘valley’, of disputed origin.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvallis1‘valley, vale’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400valee1‘valley’
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400valey1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500valeye1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1879valley1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English valley
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, George Meredith, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co.: “These hues of red rose and green and pale…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvallisWiktionary, English valley‘valley, vale’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400valeeWiktionary, English valley‘valley’
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400valeyWiktionary, English valley
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500valeyeWiktionary, English valley
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1879valleyWiktionary, English valley. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, George Meredith, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co.: “These hues of red rose and green and pale…”

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Today it means

noun An elongated depression cast between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “valley”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin vallis / valley