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

In late May, China’s State Council signaled a crackdown on cryptocurrency mining, causing bitcoin’s price to plummet by 30% and casting a pall across the entire industry, which collectively lost over $1 trillion in value.

From Time

I can think of few events which cast a greater pall over the Senate than the untimely death of our beloved colleague, Lester Hunt.

From Washington Post

Even without the pall of the horse’s failed drug test, you’re better off fading Medina Spirit in the Preakness Stakes.

From Washington Post

While pandemic pall is visceral, climate change can feel far off, requiring effort to remain engaged, or at a minimum, to keep paying attention.

From Washington Post

The battles in the late 1980s over controversial artwork exhibited by NEA-funded institutions — namely, photographs by Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe — cast a frustrating pall over government support that dogs the issue to this day.

From Washington Post

It cast this pall over the movie, which was one of my favorites of last year.

From The Daily Beast

Dad was lying on his bed in his underwear and T-shirt smoking a Pall Mall.

From The Daily Beast

He took a cigarette from a pack of Pall Malls on the bedside table.

From The Daily Beast

There was literally a pall over the city when the Rangers won the first two games.

From The Daily Beast

We may think it has to do with some moody pall over his administration right now.

From The Daily Beast

The sudden pall of darkness in this strange house of mystery was just a tiny bit awesome.

From Project Gutenberg

The corpse was lying in a narrow coffin, upon a low bier, both of which were covered with a white pall.

From Project Gutenberg

Chains creaked, hinges groaned, and the great black pall above him began gradually to rise.

From Project Gutenberg

Next the artist changed to the string of pity, and thoughts of the worlds sorrows came over him like a pall.

From Project Gutenberg

Accustomed as he was to open appreciation by the sex, it never seemed to pall on him.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cloak
• shroud
• veil