gale

Meaning

Verb

1. To cry; groan; croak.
2. To talk.
3. To sing; utter with musical modulations.

Noun

1. A very strong wind, more than a breeze, less than a storm; number 7 through to 9 winds on the 12-step Beaufort scale.
2. An outburst, especially of laughter.
3. A light breeze.

Noun

A shrub, also called sweet gale or bog myrtle (Myrica gale), that grows on moors and fens.

Noun

A periodic payment, such as is made of a rent or annuity.

Synonyms

storm

tempest

windstorm

strong wind

hurricane

wind

squall

breeze

gust

typhoon

near gale

blast

cyclone

🌀

strong gale

thunderstorm

strong winds

hot wind

air

hard storm

moderate gale

heavy wind

blizzard

blow

bluster

burst

draft

draught

sandstorm

snorter

twister

weather

whirlwind

fresh gale

wind storm

wind and rain

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɡeɪl/

Etymology

From Middle English galen, from Old English galan (“to sing, enchant, call, cry, scream; sing charms, practice incantation”), from Proto-Germanic *galaną (“to roop, sing, charm”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (“to shout, scream, charm away”). Cognate with Danish gale (“to crow”), Swedish gala (“to crow”), Icelandic gala (“to sing, chant, crow”), Dutch galm (“echo, sound, noise”). Related to yell.