gale

¹

[geyl]

noun

1. a very strong wind.

2. Meteorology.,  a wind of 32–63 miles per hour (14–28 meters per second).

3. a noisy outburst.

   a gale of laughter filled the room.

   Synonyms: gust, fit, outbreak, eruption, burst

4. Archaic.,  a gentle breeze.

gale

²

[geyl]

noun

1. sweet gale.

Gale

³

[geyl]

noun

1. Zona 1874–1938, U.S. novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and poet.

2. a female or male given name.

gale

¹

/ ɡeɪl /

noun

1. a strong wind, specifically one of force seven to ten on the Beaufort scale or from 45 to 90 kilometres per hour

2. (often plural) a loud outburst, esp of laughter

3. archaic,  a gentle breeze

gale

²

/ ɡeɪl /

noun

1. short for sweet gale

Word History and Origins

Origin of gale¹

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian dialect geil “uproar, unrest, boiling”

Origin of gale²

before 1000; Middle English gail, Old English gagel; cognate with German Gagel

Word History and Origins

Origin of gale¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of gale²

Old English gagel; related to Middle Low German gagel

Example Sentences

There is also the threat of gales around Irish Sea coasts.

From BBC

Winds will also strengthen during midweek, particularly in the north of the UK with the chance of gales in northern Scotland by Thursday.

From BBC

Winds will strengthen too, especially for south-west England where coastal gales are likely to develop.

From BBC

Sunday will start bright but heavy outbreaks of rain will spread to all areas, becoming increasingly windy with gales developing in the south and west of the UK.

From BBC

There is quite a lot of rainfall in the forecast this week and into the start of next and it will remain quite blustery with the potential for localised gales on Wednesday.

From BBC

Related Words

• cyclone 
• hurricane 
• monsoon 
• squall 
• tornado 
• wind 
• windstorm