pall

¹ American  

[pawl] / pɔl /

noun

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, 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

• pall-like adjective

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

Example Sentences

The remarks fanned geopolitical concerns and cast a pall over a tentative rebound in markets following an AI-fuelled sell-off earlier in the month.

From Barron's

His rejection cast a pall of uncertainty on vaccine and drug development.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the early 1960s, when Robert Duvall was struggling to make it in New York City, he palled around with a couple of fellow actors also trying to find their way in the business.

From The Wall Street Journal

But a dark pall seemed to hang over this space.

From BBC

Still, as the years progressed, cynicism seemed to cast a pall over Superman.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cloak
• shroud
• veil