pailful

American  

[peyl-fool] / ˈpeɪlˌfʊl /

noun

plural

pailfuls

1. a quantity sufficient to fill a pail.

   a pailful of water.

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Spelling

See -ful.

Etymology

Origin of pailful

First recorded in 1585–95; pail + -ful

Example Sentences

“Pope!” she whispered again, and it was as though he had had a pailful of ordure thrown in his face.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

The top sand was washed away during a severe gale, and the heavy substratum, being washed, was found to yield from three to eight ounces to each pailful.

From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851 by Various

From one pailful she picked out a little flat stone, rectangular and smoother and more evenly proportioned than any stone she had ever seen.

From Atlantic Narratives Modern Short Stories by Ashe, Elizabeth

Streams newly made from the accumulating water on the heights above flooded their feet to the depths of their shoes, and the rain fell upon them as if by the pailful.

From The Hills of Refuge A Novel by Harben, Will N. (Will Nathaniel)

We shoved and dismissed to no avail, then the owner of the shop with a gentle "permitte-moi" threw a pailful of "not-too-clean" water over the crowd, including the artist and myself.

From Jungle Peace by Beebe, William