—Synonyms 1.Pale, pallid, wan imply an absence of color, esp. from the human countenance. Pale implies a faintness or absence of color, which may be natural when applied to things, the pale blue of a violet, but when used to refer to the human face usually means an unnatural and often temporary absence of color, as arising from sickness or sudden emotion: pale cheeks. Pallid, limited mainly to the human countenance, implies an excessive paleness induced by intense emotion, disease, or death: the pallid lips of the dying man. Wan implies a sickly paleness, as after a long illness: wan and thin; the suggestion of weakness may be more prominent than that of lack of color: a wan smile. 5. blanch, whiten.
limits; bounds: outside the pale of his jurisdiction.
5.
a district or region within designated bounds.
6.
(initial capital letter) Also called English Pale, Irish Pale.a district in eastern Ireland included in the Angevin Empire of King Henry II and his successors.
7.
an ordinary in the form of a broad vertical stripe at the center of an escutcheon.
8.
Shipbuilding. a shore used inside to support the deck beams of a hull under construction.
–verb (used with object)
9.
to enclose with pales; fence.
10.
to encircle or encompass.
—Idiom
11.
beyond the pale, beyond the limits of propriety, courtesy, protection, safety, etc.: Their public conduct is certainly beyond the pale.
[Origin: 1300–50; ME (north), OE pāl < L pālus stake. See peel3, pole1]
Of a low intensity of light; dim or faint: "a late afternoon sun coming through the el tracks and falling in pale oblongs on the cracked, empty sidewalks"(Jimmy Breslin).
Feeble; weak: a pale rendition of the aria.
v.
paled, pal·ing, pales
v.
tr.
To cause to turn pale.
v.
intr.
To become pale; blanch: paled with fright.
To decrease in relative importance.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pallidus, from pallēre, to be pale; see pel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
c.1300, from O.Fr. paile, from L. pallidus "pale, pallid, wan," from pallere "be pale, grow pale," from PIE *pol-/*pel- (see pallor). The verb is first recorded c.1300. Pale-face, supposed N.Amer. Indian word for "European," is attested from 1822.
c.1330, "fence of pointed stakes," from L. palus "stake," related to pangere "to fix or fasten" (see pact). Fig. sense of "limit, boundary, restriction" is from c.1400. Barely surviving in beyond the pale and similar phrases. Meaning "the part of Ireland under English rule" is from 1547.
very light colored; highly diluted with white; "pale seagreen"; "pale blue eyes"
2.
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble; "the pale light of a half moon"; "a pale sun"; "the late afternoon light coming through the el tracks fell in pale oblongs on the street"; "a pallid sky"; "the pale (or wan) stars"; "the wan light of dawn"
3.
lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness; "a pale rendition of the aria"; "pale prose with the faint sweetness of lavender"; "a pallid performance"
4.
abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress; "the pallid face of the invalid"; "her wan face suddenly flushed"
5.
not full or rich; "high, pale, pure and lovely song"
noun
1.
a wooden strip forming part of a fence [syn: picket]
Em*pale"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Empaled; p. pr. & vb. n. Empaling.] [OF. empaler to palisade, pierce, F. empaler to punish by empalement; pref. em- (L. in) + OF. & F. pal a pale, stake. See Pale a stake, and cf. Impale.] [Written also impale.]1. To fence or fortify with stakes; to surround with a line of stakes for defense; to impale. All that dwell near enemies empale villages, to save themselves from surprise. --Sir W. Raleigh. 2. To inclose; to surround. See Impale. 3. To put to death by thrusting a sharpened stake through the body. 4. (Her.) Same as Impale.
Fal"low\, a. [AS. fealu, fealo, pale yellow or red; akin to D. vaal fallow, faded, OHG. falo, G. falb, fahl, Icel. f["o]lr, and prob. to Lith. palvas, OSlav. plav[u^] white, L. pallidus pale, pallere to be pale, Gr. polio`s gray, Skr. palita. Cf. Pale, Favel, a., Favor.]1. Pale red or pale yellow; as, a fallow deer or greyhound. --Shak. 2. [Cf. Fallow, n.] Left untilled or unsowed after plowing; uncultivated; as, fallow ground. Fallow chat, Fallow finch (Zo["o]l.), a small European bird, the wheatear (Saxicola [oe]nanthe). See Wheatear.
Pale\, a. [Compar. Paler; superl. Palest.] [F. p[^a]le, fr. p[^a]lir to turn pale, L. pallere to be o? look pale. Cf. Appall, Fallow, pall, v. i., Pallid.]1. Wanting in color; not ruddy; dusky white; pallid; wan; as, a pale face; a pale red; a pale blue. "Pale as a forpined ghost." --Chaucer. Speechless he stood and pale. --Milton. They are not of complexion red or pale. --T. Randolph. 2. Not bright or brilliant; of a faint luster or hue; dim; as, the pale light of the moon. The night, methinks, is but the daylight sick; It looks a little paler. --Shak. Note: Pale is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, pale-colored, pale-eyed, pale-faced, pale-looking, etc.
Pale\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Paled; p. pr. & vb. n. Paling.] To turn pale; to lose color or luster. --Whittier. Apt to pale at a trodden worm. --Mrs. Browning.
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Audio Help [peyl] Pronunciation Key adjective, pal·er, pal·est, verb, paled, pal·ing. 
