hail

¹

[ heyl ]

verb (used with object)

1. to cheer, salute, or greet; welcome.
2. to acclaim; approve enthusiastically:

   The crowds hailed the conquerors. They hailed the recent advances in medicine.

   Synonyms: extol, proclaim, laud, exalt, honor, applaud, acclaim

3. to call out to in order to stop, attract attention, ask aid, etc.:

   to hail a cab.

verb (used without object)

1. to call out in order to greet, attract attention, etc.:

   The people on land hailed as we passed in the night.

noun

1. a shout or call to attract attention:

   They answered the hail of the marooned boaters.

2. a salutation or greeting:

   a cheerful hail.

3. the act of hailing.

interjection

1. (used as a salutation, greeting, or acclamation.)

verb phrase

1. to have as one's place of birth or residence:

   Nearly everyone here hails from the Midwest.

hail

²

[ heyl ]

noun

1. showery precipitation in the form of irregular pellets or balls of ice more than 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) in diameter, falling from a cumulonimbus cloud ( sleet ).
2. a shower or storm of such precipitation.
3. a shower of anything:

   a hail of bullets.

verb (used without object)

1. to pour down hail (often used impersonally with it as subject):

   It hailed this afternoon.

2. to fall or shower as hail:

   Arrows hailed down on the troops as they advanced.

verb (used with object)

1. to pour down on as or like hail:

   The plane hailed leaflets on the city.

hail

¹

/ heɪl /

noun

1. small pellets of ice falling from cumulonimbus clouds when there are very strong rising air currents
2. a shower or storm of such pellets
3. words, ideas, etc, directed with force and in great quantity

   a hail of abuse

4. a collection of objects, esp bullets, spears, etc, directed at someone with violent force

verb

1. intr; with it as subject to be the case that hail is falling
2. often withit as subject to fall or cause to fall as or like hail

   bad language hailed about him

   to hail criticism

hail

²

/ heɪl /

verb

1. to greet, esp enthusiastically

   the crowd hailed the actress with joy

2. to acclaim or acknowledge

   they hailed him as their hero

3. to attract the attention of by shouting or gesturing

   to hail a passing ship

   to hail a taxi

4. intrfoll byfrom to be a native (of); originate (in)

   she hails from India

noun

1. the act or an instance of hailing
2. a shout or greeting
3. distance across which one can attract attention (esp in the phrase within hail )

sentence substitute

1. poetic.
   an exclamation of greeting

hail

/ hāl /

1. Precipitation in the form of rounded pellets of ice and hard snow that usually falls during thunderstorms. Hail forms when raindrops are blown up and down within a cloud, passing repeatedly through layers of warm and freezing air and collecting layers of ice until they are too heavy for the winds to keep them from falling.

hail

1. Pellets of ice that form when updrafts in thunderstorms carry raindrops to high altitudes, where the water freezes and then falls back to Earth . Hailstones as large as baseballs have been recorded. Hail can damage crops and property.

Derived Forms

• ˈhailer, noun

Other Words From

• hailer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hail¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English verb heilen, hailen, derivative of hail “healthy, sound,” from Old Norse heill; cognate with Old English hǣl; heal, wassail

Origin of hail²

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun hail, haiel, ail, Old English hæg(e)l, hagol; cognate with German Hagel, Old Norse hagl

Word History and Origins

Origin of hail¹

Old English hægl; related to Old Frisian heil, Old High German hagal hail, Greek kakhlēx pebble

Origin of hail²

C12: from Old Norse heill whole ; see hale ¹, wassail

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. within hail, within range of hearing; audible:

   The mother kept her children within hail of her voice.

More idioms and phrases containing hail

In addition to the idiom beginning with hail , also see within call (hail) .

Related Words

• barrage
• bombardment
• hailstorm
• rain
• salvo
• shower
• storm
• volley