'baal' originates from Northwest Semitic, specifically the word 'baʿal', where 'baʿal' meant 'lord, master, owner'.

'baal' appeared in Ugaritic, Phoenician, and Biblical Hebrew as 'baʿal'; the term was adopted into Greek and Latin writings (often transliterated) and entered English usage through biblical and scholarly texts as 'Baal'.

Initially, it meant 'lord' or 'owner' (a general title); over time it became the name/title of particular storm and fertility deities and later developed the negative/biblical sense of 'false god' or 'idol' in English.