pail

[ peyl ]

/ peɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pail ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

bucket.

the amount filling a pail.

Nearby words

paid-up, paido-, paige, paigle, paignton, pail, pailful, paillard, paillasse, paillette, paillon

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 confused

pale pail

Regional variation note

1. See bucket.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pail

Homer uses metaphor—‘it was so crowded, it was like bees swarming over a pail of milk.’
Denis O’Hare Talks About One-Man Show “An Iliad”|Janice Kaplan|March 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Let us try to set aside—preferably forever—the image of the ever-immaculate Romney crouched bare-assed over a pail.
Mitt Romney's 'Missionary in France' Tale Won't Make Us Forget He's Rich|Michelle Cottle|December 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Two of the boys passed round a pail of water and a tin cup, that all the thirsty might drink.
Glengarry Schooldays|Ralph Connor
One of them went to the pail, and finding no water in it, cried out to the others, what must they do to christen the child?
The Fairy Mythology|Thomas Keightley

With the pincers he picked up a bit of hot iron and dropped it hissing into the pail, which he pushed beneath the tent.
The Best Short Stories of 1920|Various
She gave her consent, however, to his leaving the pail on the porch and then retiring to the chestnut tree.
More Tish|Mary Roberts Rinehart
Shortly after returning to camp, they found the fat boy standing over a pail of water holding the stick above it.
The Pony Rider Boys in New Mexico|Frank Gee Patchin

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012