According to this prevailing theory, the toponym derives from the Arabic word Daliyah, whose meaning is unmistakably linked to the land: vineyard, vine, or grapevine. This interpretation is no coincidence, as it reflects the importance of agriculture, and particularly viticulture, in the region during the Arab presence (9th–11th centuries). It suggests that the area was renowned for its fertility, its abundant water sources, and its extensive grape cultivation - further confirmed by the fact that many place names in the surrounding area are also of Arabic origin.
Alongside this derivation, which appears the most plausible from both an etymological and geographical standpoint, there exist other historical and mythological interpretations. One connects the name to the ancient Roman mansio of Petiliana (or Petilia), a name that, significantly, appears in the Visual Survey of Delia’s Urban Center (1890), designating the current Corso Umberto I - today one of the main streets of the old town, together with Via Cavour. These streets link the original urban nucleus, built along the ridge connecting Monte Comune and Monserrato, with the new settlement favored by the town’s refoundation, which developed around the baronial palace and the mother church.
Another hypothesis, more closely tied to classical tradition, suggests that the name may derive from the cult of the goddess Diana, often called Delia because of her mythical birth on the island of Delos.
Despite these alternatives, it is the evocation of the Arabic vineyard that offers the strongest and most tangible connection to the land, shaping the identity of the town through its agricultural vocation.
The municipal coat of arms encapsulates this dual spirit in a heraldic image that is both simple and rich in meaning: an elegant shield topped by a crenellated tower with two loopholes, painted in gold on a blue field - symbolizing the solid fortification erected by feudal lords to control communication routes. The tower, set upon a green hill (a sandstone tower on a mount), alludes to the elevation on which the village stands, while the blue evokes the clear sky and the hope of rebirth. On either side, two intertwined branches - one olive, one laurel - highlight both agricultural vocation and civic pride, bound below by a tricolor ribbon symbolizing national unity. The three golden ears of wheat depicted on the blue field finally suggest the abundance of grain fields, a primary resource for the community since its origins.
This emblem, approved by a recent municipal resolution, appears on banners, official documents, and entrance plaques: a visual seal that, at a glance, narrates the agricultural, military, and cultural history of Delia - a village that has preserved, within its walls and symbols, the pride of a people born “from the vineyard” and grown under the Sicilian sun.