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.

Concepts

gale

storm

tempest

strong wind

hurricane

windstorm

wind

squall

gust

typhoon

breeze

thunderstorm

blast

near gale

strong gale

cyclone

strong winds

hard storm

draft

blizzard

twister

whirlwind

wind and rain

burst

snorter

weather

wind storm

fresh gale

moderate gale

draught

blow

bluster

sandstorm

air

hot wind

heavy wind

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.