pail
[ peyl ]
/ peɪl /
noun
the amount filling a pail.
Nearby words
Origin of pail
before 1000; Middle English payle wooden container, continuing Old English pægel wine container, liquid measure (of unknown orig.; compare Middle Dutch, Low German pegel half pint), by association with Old French paielle pan < Latin patella; see patella
Can be confusedpale pail
Regional variation note
1. See bucket.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pail
British Dictionary definitions for pail
pail
/ (peɪl) /
noun
a bucket, esp one made of wood or metal
Also called: pailful the quantity that fills a pail
Word Origin for pail
Old English pægel; compare Catalan paella frying pan, paella
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for pail
pail
mid-14c., of uncertain origin, probably from Old French paele, paelle "cooking or frying pan, warming pan;" also a liquid measure, from Latin patella "small pan, little dish, platter," diminutive of patina "broad shallow pan, stewpan" (see pan (n.)).
Old English had pægel "wine vessel," but etymology does not support a connection. This Old English word possibly is from Medieval Latin pagella "a measure," from Latin pagella "column," diminutive of pagina (see page (n.1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper