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Gale

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gale

1  [geyl]
Use Gale in a Sentence
–noun
1. a very strong wind.
2. Meteorology. a wind of 32–63 mph (14–28 m/sec).
3. a noisy outburst: a gale of laughter filled the room.
4. Archaic. a gentle breeze.
Origin:
1540–50; perh. < Scand; cf. Norw dial. geil uproar, unrest, boiling

Synonyms:
3. burst, eruption, outbreak, fit, gust.
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gale

2  [geyl]
–noun
sweet gale.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME gail, OE gagel; c. G Gagel

Gale

  [geyl]
–noun
1. Zo⋅na  [zoh-nuh] , 1874–1938, U.S. novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and poet.
2. a female or male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Gale
gale 1   (gāl)   
n.  

    1. A wind with a speed of from 34 to 40 knots (39 to 46 miles per hour; 63 to 74 kilometers per hour), according to the Beaufort scale. Also called fresh gale.

    2. A storm at sea.

  2. A forceful outburst: gales of laughter.

  3. Archaic A breeze.


[Origin unknown.]
gale 2   (gāl)   
n.  The sweet gale.

[Middle English gail, from Old English gagel.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gale 
"storm at sea," c.1547, from gaile "wind," origin uncertain, perhaps from O.N. gol "breeze," or O.Dan. gal "bad, furious" (often used of weather), from O.N. galinn "bewitched." Or perhaps it is from O.E. galan "to sing" (the second element in nightingale), or giellan "to yell." In technical meteorological use, a wind between 32 and 63 miles per hour.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

gale

wind that is stronger than a breeze; specifically a wind of 28-55 knots (50-102 km per hour) corresponding to force numbers 7 to 10 on the Beaufort scale. As issued by weather service forecasters, gale warnings occur when forecasted winds range from 34 to 47 knots (63 to 87 km per hour).

Learn more about gale with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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