Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Gale

Gale

(gāl)
,
Noun.
[Prob. of Scand. origin; cf. Dan.
gal
furious, Icel.
galinn
, cf. Icel.
gala
to sing, AS.
galan
to sing, Icel.
galdr
song, witchcraft, AS.
galdor
charm, sorcery, E. nightin
gale
; also, Icel.
gjōla
gust of wind,
gola
breeze. Cf.
Yell
.]
1.
A strong current of air; a wind between a stiff breeze and a hurricane. The most violent gales are called
tempests
.
☞ Gales have a velocity of from about eighteen (“moderate”) to about eighty (“very heavy”) miles an our.
Sir. W. S. Harris.
2.
A moderate current of air; a breeze.
A little
gale
will soon disperse that cloud.
Shakespeare
And winds of gentlest
gale
Arabian odors fanned
From their soft wings.
Milton.
3.
A state of excitement, passion, or hilarity.
The ladies, laughing heartily, were fast getting into what, in New England, is sometimes called a
gale
.
Brooke (Eastford).
Topgallant gale
(Naut.)
,
one in which a ship may carry her topgallant sails.

Gale

,
Verb.
I.
(Naut.)
To sale, or sail fast.

Gale

,
Noun.
[OE.
gal
. See
Gale
wind.]
A song or story.
[Obs.]
Toone.

Gale

,
Verb.
I.
[AS.
galan
. See 1st
Gale
.]
To sing.
[Obs.]
“Can he cry and gale.”
Court of Love.

Gale

,
Noun.
[AS.
gagel
, akin to D.
gagel
.]
(Bot.)
A plant of the genus
Myrica
, growing in wet places, and strongly resembling the bayberry. The sweet gale (
Myrica Gale
) is found both in Europe and in America.

Gale

,
Noun.
[Cf.
Gabel
.]
The payment of a rent or annuity.
[Eng.]
Mozley & W.
Gale day
,
the day on which rent or interest is due.

Webster 1828 Edition

Gale

GALE

,
Noun.
A current of air; a strong wind. The sense of this word is very indefinite. The poets use it in the sense of a moderate breeze of current of air, as a gentle gale. A stronger wind is called a fresh gale.
In the language of seamen, the word gale,unaccompanied by an epithet, signifies a vehement wind, a storm or tempest. They say, the ship carried away her top-mast in a gale, or gale of wind; the ship rode out the gale. But the word is often qualified, as a hard or strong gale, a violent gale. A current of wind somewhat less violent is denominated a stiff gale. A less vehement wind is called a fresh gale, which is a wind not too strong for a ship to carry single reefed top-sails, when close hauled. When the wind is not so violent but that a ship will carry her top-sails a-trip or full spread, it is called a loom-gale.

GALE

,
Verb.
I.
In seamen's language, to sail, or sail fast.

Definition 2024

Gale

Gale

See also: gale, galé, and galè

English

Proper noun

Gale

  1. A surname​.

gale

gale

See also: Gale, galé, and galè

English

Verb

gale ‎(third-person singular simple present gales, present participle galing, simple past galed or gole, past participle galed or galen)

  1. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To sing; charm; enchant.
    • Court of Love
      Can he cry and gale.
  2. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To cry; groan; croak.
  3. (intransitive, of a person, now chiefly dialectal) To talk.
  4. (intransitive, of a bird, Scotland) To call.
  5. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To sing; utter with musical modulations.

Etymology 2

From Middle English gale ‎(“a wind, breeze”), probably of North Germanic origin, related to Icelandic gola ‎(“a breeze”), Danish gal ‎(“furious, mad”),[1] both from Old Norse gala ‎(“to sing”).

Noun

gale ‎(plural gales)

  1. (meteorology) A very strong wind, more than a breeze, less than a storm; number 7 through 9 winds on the 12-step Beaufort scale.
  2. An outburst, especially of laughter.
    a gale of laughter
  3. (archaic) A light breeze.
    • Shakespeare
      A little gale will soon disperse that cloud.
    • Milton
      And winds of gentlest gale Arabian odours fanned / From their soft wings.
  4. (obsolete) A song or story.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Toone to this entry?)
Coordinate terms
Translations

See also

Verb

gale ‎(third-person singular simple present gales, present participle galing, simple past and past participle galed)

  1. (nautical) To sail, or sail fast.

Etymology 3

Middle English gail, from Old English gagel

Noun

gale

  1. A shrub, also sweet gale or bog myrtle (Myrica gale) growing on moors and fens.
Translations

Etymology 4

Middle English gavel ‎(“rent", "tribute”), from Old English gafol

Noun

gale

  1. (archaic) A periodic payment, such as is made of a rent or annuity.
    Gale day - the day on which rent or interest is due.
References
  1. ↑ Etymology of gale

Anagrams

Basque

Noun

gale

  1. eagerness

French

Etymology

Variant of galle.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡal/

Noun

gale f ‎(plural gales)

  1. scabies; mange

Anagrams

Italian

Noun

gale f

  1. plural of gala

Anagrams

Norwegian

Etymology

From Old Norse gala

Verb

gale

  1. to make a sound characteristic of a rooster; to crow
Conjugation
    Conjugation of gale in Nynorsk
Infinitive active gale
Infinitive passive galast
Present gjel [gjeler]
Past gol
Present participle galande
Past participle gale/gali
Imperative gal

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

gale

  1. definite singular of gal
  2. plural form of gal

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

Adjective

gale

  1. neuter singular of galen

Etymology

From Middle English galen, from Old English galan ‎(“to sing, enchant, call, cry, scream; sing charms, practice incantation”), from Proto-Germanic *galaną ‎(“to roop, sing, charm”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- ‎(“to shout, scream, charm away”). Cognate with Danish gale ‎(“to crow”), Swedish gala ‎(“to crow”), Icelandic gala ‎(“to sing, chant, crow”), Dutch galm ‎(“echo, sound, noise”). Related to yell.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡeɪl/
  • Rhymes: -eɪl
  • Homophone: Gail

Similar Results