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gale

verb, noun — 10 senses

gale

verb

/ɡeɪl/

Etymology From Middle English galen, from Old English galan (“to sing, enchant, call, cry, scream; sing charms, practice incantation”), from Proto-Germanic *galaną (“to roop, sing, charm”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (“to shout, scream, charm away”). Cognate with Danish gale (“to crow”), Swedish gala (“to crow”), Icelandic gala (“to sing, chant, crow”), Dutch galm (“echo, sound, noise”). Related to yell.

1

Dialectal To cry; groan; croak.

2

Dialectal, Of a person To talk.

3

Dialectal To sing; utter with musical modulations.

gale

noun

Etymology From Middle English gale (“a wind, breeze”), possibly from Old English galan, possibly an unknown North Germanic origin, related to Icelandic gola (“a breeze”), Danish gal (“furious, mad”), both from Old Norse gala (“to sing”), and thus ultimately related to the above word (etymology 1).

1

Climatology, Meteorology, Natural sciences A very strong wind, more than a breeze, less than a storm; number 7 through to 9 winds on the 12-step Beaufort scale.

  • It's blowing a gale outside.
  • Many parts of the boat were damaged in the gale.
2 more examples
  • With my mother's permission and blessings, I set off exultantly for Bombay, leaving my wife with a baby of a few months. But on arrival there, friends told my brother that the Indian Ocean was rough in June and July, and as this was my first voyage, I should not be allowed to sail until November. Someone also reported that a steamer had just been sunk in a gale. This made my brother uneasy, and he refused to take the risk of allowing me to sail immediately.1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xii
  • It's blowing a gale and this holiday destination loses all its appeal in an instant in weather like this.2026 January 7, 'Mystery Shopper', “Cornish cream - without the jams?”, in RAIL, number 1052, page 48:
2

An outburst, especially of laughter.

  • a gale of laughter
  • The slightest hint of smugness would have had the nation leaning over our shoulders to blow out the birthday candles with a gale of reproach and disapproval.1972, International Association of Seed Crushers, Congress [proceedings]:
3

Archaic, Literary A light breeze.

  • A little gale will soon disperse that cloud.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
  • And winds of gentlest gale Arabian odours fanned / From their soft wings.1671, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:
Derived terms
bang like a dunny door in a gale, gale force, galelike, galeproof, near gale, nightingale, Schumpeter's gale, severe gale, strong gale, whole gale
Related terms
Beaufort scale
Coordinate terms
breeze, hurricane, storm

gale

verb

Etymology From Middle English gale (“a wind, breeze”), possibly from Old English galan, possibly an unknown North Germanic origin, related to Icelandic gola (“a breeze”), Danish gal (“furious, mad”), both from Old Norse gala (“to sing”), and thus ultimately related to the above word (etymology 1).

1

Nautical, Transport To sail, or sail fast.

gale

noun

Etymology From Middle English gaile, gawl, gawwyl, gaȝel, gagel, from Old English gagel, gagelle, gagille, gagolle (“gale; sweet gale”), from Proto-West Germanic *gagul, from Proto-Germanic *gagulaz (“gale; sweet-willow”). Cognate with Scots gaul, gall (“bog-myrtle”), Dutch gagel (“wild myrtle”), German Gagel (“myrtle-bush”), Icelandic gaglviður (“sweet-gale; myrtle”).

1

A shrub, also called sweet gale or bog myrtle (Myrica gale), that grows on moors and fens.

gale

noun

Etymology From Middle English gavel (“rent; tribute”), from Old English gafol.

1

Archaic A periodic payment, such as is made of a rent or annuity.

  • Gale day - the day on which rent or interest is due.
2

The personal mining plot of a freeminer.

  • As a rule the free miners do not work their own 'gales,' but dispose of them to capitalists.1875, The Sanitary Record, volume 3, page 384:
Related terms
galeage, galee

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.