דייל

The Hebrew word "דייל" (dayal) has a fascinating journey from ancient sources to modern aviation. It likely began as the Greek word "doulos" meaning "servant," which made its way into Aramaic. The word appears in the Babylonian Talmud (Pesachim 86b) as "דיילא" (dayla), referring to a server bringing food to sages at a Passover meal. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the father of modern Hebrew, revived this ancient word and included it in his dictionary with the definition "a servant who brings drinks and food in restaurants and coffee houses." However, the word "מלצר" (meltsar) ultimately became more common for this role, and "דייל" fell into disuse. The word was given new life in 1953, five years after the founding of Israel's national airline El Al. Writer Yitzhak Shenhar had used the word "דיילת" (dayelet, the feminine form) in a short story published in 1949. Israel's first foreign minister, Moshe Sharett, who had been the first passenger on El Al, encountered this word, appreciated its etymology, and suggested it to El Al's management. The airline adopted it to refer to its cabin crew, previously called "stewards" or "flight arrangers" (סדרני טיסה). From there, the word spread throughout Hebrew and is used to this day.