peal
[ peel ]
/ pil /
noun
verb (used with object)
to sound loudly and sonorously: to peal the bells of a tower.
Obsolete. to assail with loud sounds.
verb (used without object)
to sound forth in a peal; resound.
Nearby words
Origin of peal
1350–1400; Middle English pele, akin to peal to beat, strike (now dial.)
Related formsin·ter·peal, verb (used with object)un·pealed, adjective
Can be confusedpeal peel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for peal
British Dictionary definitions for peal (1 of 2)
peal
1/ (piːl) /
noun
a loud prolonged usually reverberating sound, as of bells, thunder, or laughter
bell-ringing a series of changes rung in accordance with specific rules, consisting of not fewer than 5000 permutations in a ring of eight bells
(not in technical usage) the set of bells in a belfry
verb
(intr) to sound with a peal or peals
(tr) to give forth loudly and sonorously
(tr) to ring (bells) in peals
Word Origin for peal
C14 pele, variant of apele appeal
British Dictionary definitions for peal (2 of 2)
peal
2/ (piːl) /
noun
a dialect name for a grilse or a young sea trout
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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