pail

American  

[peyl] / peɪl /

noun

1. bucket.

2. the amount filling a pail.

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pail British  

/ peɪl /

noun

1. a bucket, esp one made of wood or metal

2. Also called: pailful.  the quantity that fills a pail

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Regionalisms

See bucket.

Etymology

Origin of pail

First recorded before 1000; Middle English payle “wooden container,” continuing Old English pægel “wine container, liquid measure” (of unknown origin; compare Middle Dutch, Low German pegel “half pint”), by association with Old French paielle “pan,” from Latin patella; see patella

Explanation

A pail is a round, open container with a handle. At the beach, you can use a pail to carry water and sand, and also to mold the towers of your sandcastle. You can also call a pail a bucket — although pail implies a smaller container, exactly the sort a child would use, along with a small shovel, when playing in a sandbox. You might also use a pail to catch drips from a leaky ceiling, or pour a small amount of paint into a pail when you're touching up the trim in your bedroom. This word comes from the Old French paelle, "cooking or frying pan."

Example Sentences

Suddenly, she’s brandishing a mop and pail everywhere like a rootless knight without a quest or a horse.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

The simplicity of a brain plopped in a pail for scientific research becomes something of a mordant sight gag.

From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2024

Robinson’s updated pail had separate compartments for food and liquids, and was designed so items within could be heated using a small lamp.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2024

A garbage pail is placed in one corner in case, well, you know.

From Washington Times • Apr. 25, 2023

He did it slowly, to make Hord think he was up to something with the water pail, and to distract attention from the cooking-skin bubbling by the fire.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• canister
• container
• jug
• pot