el (deity)
ʼĒl (also ‘Il, Ugaritic: 𐎛𐎍 ʾīl; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤋 ʾīl;[3] Hebrew: אֵל ʾēl; Syriac: ܐܺܝܠ ʾīyl; Arabic: إيل ʾīl or إله ʾilāh; cognate to Akkadian: 𒀭, romanized: ilu) is a Northwest Semitic word meaning “god” or “deity“, or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, ‘ila, represents the predicate form in Old Akkadian and in Amorite.[4] The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic *ʔil-, meaning “god”.[5]
Specific deities known as ‘El or ‘Il include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion[6] and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia’s Early Dynastic Period.[7]