pail

[peyl]

noun

1. bucket.

2. the amount filling a pail.

pail

/ peɪl /

noun

1. a bucket, esp one made of wood or metal

2. Also called: pailful. the quantity that fills a pail

Word History and Origins

Origin of pail¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English payle “wooden container,” continuing Old English pægel “wine container, liquid measure” (of unknown origin; compare Middle Dutch, Low German pegel “half pint”), by association with Old French paielle “pan,” from Latin patella; patella

Word History and Origins

Origin of pail¹

Old English pægel; compare Catalan paella frying pan, _paella

Example Sentences

Unfortunately, the children had learned the words according to the way they sounded, rather than what they actually meant, so that “All hail to our founder” became “A pail full of flounder” and so on.

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“The most elemental device is a metal pail with a tight cover.”

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Bonus points for Johnson as Tim Tucker, who appears at the beginning of the sketch with a trick-or-treat pail in the shape of Jesus Christ’s head.

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The coach handed out metal lunch pails and blue-collar work shirts customized with embroidered name tags to symbolize the team’s hard-working mentality.

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Suddenly, she’s brandishing a mop and pail everywhere like a rootless knight without a quest or a horse.

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Related Words

• canister 
• container 
• jug 
• pot