pall

¹

[ pawl ]

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 ( def 2b ).
   2. a linen cloth or a square cloth-covered piece of cardboard used to cover a chalice.
5. Heraldry. pairle ( def ).
6. Archaic. a cloth spread upon an altar; corporal.
7. Archaic. a garment, especially a robe, cloak, or the like.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover with or as with a pall.

pall

²

[ pawl ]

verb (used without object)

1. to have a wearying or tiresome effect (usually followed by on or upon ).
2. to become distasteful or unpleasant.
3. to become satiated or cloyed with something.

verb (used with object)

1. to satiate or cloy.

   Synonyms: surfeit, sate, glut

2. to make dull, distasteful, or unpleasant.

pall

¹

/ pɔːl /

verb

1. introften foll byon to become or appear boring, insipid, or tiresome (to)

   history classes palled on me

2. to cloy or satiate, or become cloyed or satiated

pall

²

/ 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

verb

1. tr to cover or depress with a pall

Other Words From

• pall-like adjective

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pall¹

C14: variant of appal

Origin of pall²

Old English pæll, from Latin: pallium

Example Sentences

Thousands of spectators congregated in Pall Mall to see a display of some of the world's oldest and newest cars.

From BBC

His age, seeming infirmity, and catastrophically bad debate performance against Trump cast a pall of depression over many Democratic organizations and activists, and it seemed Trump then had a path toward a clear victory.

From Salon

Barrett Pall had an old iPad that wouldn’t turn on - but we got it fixed.

From BBC

More than two years on from our first conversation, I asked Barrett Pall why he decided to speak to me.

From BBC

During the pandemic, I was researching the fashion industry when I stumbled across a cryptic Instagram comment written by a former model named Barrett Pall.

From BBC

Related Words

• cloak
• shroud
• veil