pall

¹ American  

[pawl] / pɔl /

noun

palls plural

1. a cloth, often of velvet, for spreading over a coffin, bier, or tomb.

2. a coffin.

3. anything that covers, shrouds, or overspreads, especially with darkness or gloom.

   Synonyms:

   melancholy, veil, shroud, shadow, darkness, cloud

4. Ecclesiastical.

   1. pallium.

   2. a linen cloth or a square cloth-covered piece of cardboard used to cover a chalice.

5. Heraldry. pairle.

6. Archaic. a cloth spread upon an altar; corporal.

7. Archaic. a garment, especially a robe, cloak, or the like.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover with or as with a pall.

pall ² American  

[pawl] / pɔl /

verb (used without object)

1. to have a wearying or tiresome effect (usually followed by on orupon ).

2. to become distasteful or unpleasant.

3. to become satiated or cloyed with something.

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verb (used with object)

1. to satiate or cloy.

   Synonyms:

   surfeit, sate, glut

2. to make dull, distasteful, or unpleasant.

pall ¹ British  

/ pɔːl /

noun

1. a cloth covering, usually black, spread over a coffin or tomb

2. a coffin, esp during the funeral ceremony

3. a dark heavy covering; shroud

   the clouds formed a pall over the sky

4. a depressing or oppressive atmosphere

   her bereavement cast a pall on the party

5. heraldry an ordinary consisting of a Y-shaped bearing

6. Christianity

   1. a small square linen cloth with which the chalice is covered at the Eucharist

   2. an archaic word for pallium

7. an obsolete word for cloak

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verb

1. (tr) to cover or depress with a pall

pall ² British  

/ pɔːl /

verb

1. to become or appear boring, insipid, or tiresome (to)

   history classes palled on me

2. to cloy or satiate, or become cloyed or satiated

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pall-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• palls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pall¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English pal, palle “fine cloth; cloak; robe,” Old English pæll, from Latin pallium “cloak”

Origin of pall²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pallen “impair; weaken”; shortened variant of appall

Explanation

A pall was originally a coffin’s cloak. Now pall usually means that an event or situation is — literally or figuratively — covered in gloom, like disappointing news that casts a pall on your day. The noun pall comes from the Latin word, pallium, “covering or cloak.” This use of pall has come to mean "gloom" like your grandparents' not being there to celebrate with you that casts a pall over your graduation. The verb pall is used when someone or something becomes boring or less interesting over time. Your initial willingness to perform household chores began to pall when you realized that no one else was willing to chip in.

Example Sentences

Shares in easyJet have gained over 40% since Castlelake made public its interest in a possible takeover, recouping its losses since the war in the Middle East began and cast a pall on airline stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026

Toxic air has covered the San Gabriel Valley and beyond at times, as the fire continues to burn and the wind shifts the pall in different directions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

In the western Spanish village of Almaraz, the uncertain future of the country's biggest nuclear power plant casts a pall over daily life.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

The merger with Paramount, which the companies aim to close by the end of September, has cast a pall over Warner Bros., making its box-office success this year bittersweet.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

They weren’t like Iorek Byrnison, pure and certain and absolute; there was a constant pall of uncertainty hanging over them, as they watched one another and watched Iofur.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• cloak
• shroud
• veil