gale

¹

[ geyl ]

noun

1. a very strong wind.
2. Meteorology. a wind of 32–63 miles per hour (14–28 meters per second).
3. a noisy outburst:

   a gale of laughter filled the room.

   Synonyms: gust, fit, outbreak, eruption, burst

4. Archaic. a gentle breeze.

gale

²

[ geyl ]

noun

1. sweet gale.

Gale

³

[ geyl ]

noun

1. Zo·na [zoh, -n, uh], 1874–1938, U.S. novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and poet.
2. a female or male given name.

gale

¹

/ ɡeɪl /

noun

1. a strong wind, specifically one of force seven to ten on the Beaufort scale or from 45 to 90 kilometres per hour
2. often plural a loud outburst, esp of laughter
3. archaic.
   a gentle breeze

gale

²

/ ɡeɪl /

noun

1. See sweet gale
   short for sweet gale

Word History and Origins

Origin of gale¹

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian dialect geil “uproar, unrest, boiling”

Origin of gale²

before 1000; Middle English gail, Old English gagel; cognate with German Gagel

Word History and Origins

Origin of gale¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of gale²

Old English gagel; related to Middle Low German gagel

Example Sentences

Three zippered exterior pockets hold sunscreen, car keys, and a phone, and a brimmed hood offers extra protection against harsh sun and gales.

From Outside Online

He and Gale allegedly earned up to $23 million that they sought to conceal from authorities.

From Washington Post

That grants Arctic weather, along with gales spinning off the Great Lakes, unimpeded access to the West Virginia highlands.

From Washington Post

Specifically, the party failed to submit affidavits in person signed by Scroggin and Gale, according to the court.

From Washington Post

It struck me from behind and carried me willy-nilly and with great force like a leaf in a gale.

From Voice of San Diego

Movie Gale fails to conjure emotions more complicated than “oooh, what pretty eyes he has.”

From The Daily Beast

Unfortunately, Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne are not among them.

From The Daily Beast

Comedian Paul Gale has an answer as to why: they do it on purpose.

From The Daily Beast

We scrambled for the prime spots… bottom bunks on the wall, just close enough to the gale-forced air-conditioning ducts.

From The Daily Beast

One of the scenes was when she first gets called to go into The Hunger Games and has to say goodbye to her mother and Gale.

From The Daily Beast

The gale still lasted, and the steamer was in momentary danger of becoming a complete wreck.

From Project Gutenberg

At a quarter before seven o'clock we hauled to the wind for the night with a fresh gale from the southward.

From Project Gutenberg

Loud and clear were both the signals, but four and a half miles of distance and a fresh gale neutralised their influence.

From Project Gutenberg

It is not an easy matter to sit up in a gale of wind, with freezing spray, and sometimes green seas, sweeping over one!

From Project Gutenberg

A violent gale of wind from the south-west; the only thing like a hard gale since we left England.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cyclone
• hurricane
• monsoon
• squall
• tornado
• wind
• windstorm