wale

[ weyl ]

/ weɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wale ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a streak, stripe, or ridge produced on the skin by the stroke of a rod or whip; welt.

the vertical rib in knit goods or a chain of loops running lengthwise in knit fabric (opposed to course).

the texture or weave of a fabric.

Nautical.

any of certain strakes of thick outside planking on the sides of a wooden ship.
gunwale.

Also called breast timber, ranger, waling. Engineering, Building Trades. a horizontal timber or other support for reinforcing various upright members, as sheet piling or concrete form boards, or for retaining earth at the edge of an excavation.

a ridge on the outside of a horse collar.

verb (used with object), waled, wal·ing.

to mark with wales.

to weave with wales.

Engineering, Building Trades. to reinforce or fasten with a wale or wales.

Nearby words

Origin of wale

before 1050; (noun) Middle English; Old English walu ridge, rib, wheal; cognate with Old Norse vǫlr, Gothic walus rod, wand; (v.) late Middle English, derivative of the noun

wale

[ weyl ]

/ weɪl /

Scot. and North England

noun

something that is selected as the best; choice.

verb (used with object), waled, wal·ing.

to choose; select.

Origin of wale

1250–1300; Middle English wal(e) < Old Norse val choice, velja to choose

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

Examples from the Web for wale

Pieces of quartering nailed to the sides amidships, from the wale upwards; for the people ascending or descending the ship.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth
Armstrong fell back, against the bench, perfectly livid, with the wale of the blow standing out red and distinct across his cheek.
The Air Trust|George Allan England
Feeling now every wale on his back and legs, he sullenly went home.
Two Little Savages|Ernest Thompson Seton
It was on the Derby, he himself having bet that the Prince of Wale's horse would win.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete|Gilbert Parker

Perhaps the Savannah had a wide bright band above the wale and multicolored bands just above the deck.
The Pioneer Steamship Savannah: A Study for a Scale Model|Howard I. Chapelle

British Dictionary definitions for wale

wale

/ (weɪl) /

noun

the raised mark left on the skin after the stroke of a rod or whip

the weave or texture of a fabric, such as the ribs in corduroy
a vertical row of stitches in knittingCompare course (def. 14)

nautical

a ridge of planking along the rail of a ship
See gunwale

verb (tr)

to raise a wale or wales on by striking

to weave with a wale

Word Origin for wale

Old English walu weal 1; related to Old Norse vala knuckle, Dutch wäle

noun

a choice

anything chosen as the best

adjective

choice

verb

(tr) to choose

Word Origin for wale

C14: from Old Norse val choice, related to German Wahl

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

Word Origin and History for wale

wale

Old English walu "ridge," as of earth or stone, later "ridge made on flesh by a lash" (related to weal (n.2)); from Proto-Germanic *walo (cf. Low German wale "weal," Old Frisian walu "rod," Old Norse völr "round piece of wood," Gothic walus "a staff, stick," Dutch wortel, German wurzel "root"). The common notion perhaps is "raised line." Used in reference to the ridges of textile fabric from 1580s. Wales "horizontal planks which extend along a ship's sides" is attested from late 13c.

Medicine definitions for wale

wale

[ wāl ]

n.

A mark raised on the skin, as by a whip; a weal or welt.

v.

To raise marks on the skin, as by whipping.

wale

noun

verb (used with object), waled, wal·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of wale

wale

noun

verb (used with object), waled, wal·ing.

Origin of wale

Examples from the Web for wale

wale

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for wale

noun

adjective

verb

Word Origin for wale

wale

wale

n.

v.