'baal' originates from Northwest Semitic (Hebrew/Proto-Canaanite), specifically the word 'baʿal', where the root meant 'owner' or 'lord'.

'baal' appears in Ugaritic and Phoenician texts and was adopted in Biblical Hebrew; the plural form 'baalim' (Hebrew 'baʿalîm') entered English usage via Biblical translations and religious scholarship.

Initially it meant 'owner' or 'master' (and could mean 'husband'); over time it also became the proper name of a Canaanite deity ('Baal'), and in Biblical contexts the plural 'baalim' came to be used for local gods or 'false gods'.