Yale (y?l), Elihu 1649-1721. Colonial-born English merchant and philanthropist who made a series of contributions to the Collegiate School in Connecticut, which was renamed in Yale’s honor (1718).American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.yale (je?l) na mythical beast with the body of an antelope or goat and swivelling hornsCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Yale (ye?l) n. Elihu, 1648?1721, English colonial official, born in America: governor of Madras 1687?92. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.