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bale

 - 14 dictionary results

bale

1  [beyl] noun, verb, baled, bal⋅ing.
Use bale in a Sentence
–noun
1. a large bundle or package prepared for shipping, storage, or sale, esp. one tightly compressed and secured by wires, hoops, cords, or the like, and sometimes having a wrapping or covering: a bale of cotton; a bale of hay.
2. a group of turtles.
–verb (used with object)
3. to make or form into bales: to bale wastepaper for disposal.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < AL bala, AF bale pack, bale < Frankish *balla; cf. OHG balo, akin to balla ball 1

Related forms:
baleless, adjective
baler, noun

bale

2  [beyl]
–noun Archaic.
1. evil; harm; misfortune.
2. woe; misery; sorrow.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE bealu, balu; c. ON bǫl, OS balu, OHG balo, Goth balw-; akin to Russ bolʾ pain, OCS bolŭ ill

bale

3  [beyl]
–noun
bail 2 .

bale

4  [beyl]
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object), baled, bal⋅ing.
bail 3 (defs. 1–3).

Bâle

  [bahl]
–noun
French name of Basel.

bail

2  [beyl]
–noun
1. the semicircular handle of a kettle or pail.
2. a hooplike support, as for the canvas cover on a Conestoga wagon.
3. a metal band or bar equipped with rollers for holding a sheet or sheets of paper against the platen of a printing press, typewriter, etc.
Also, bale.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME beyl, perh. < ON; cf. ON beyglast to become bent, equiv. to baug(r) ring (see bee 2 ) + *-il n. suffix + -ast middle inf. suffix

bail

3  [beyl]
–verb (used with object)
1. to dip (water) out of a boat, as with a bucket.
2. to clear of water by dipping (usually fol. by out): to bail out a boat.
–verb (used without object)
3. to bail water.
–noun
4. Also, bailer. a bucket, dipper, or other container used for bailing.
—Verb phrase
5. bail out,
a. to make a parachute jump from an airplane.
b. to relieve or assist (a person, company, etc.) in an emergency situation, esp. a financial crisis: The corporation bailed out its failing subsidiary through a series of refinancing operations.
c. to give up on or abandon something, as to evade a responsibility: His partner bailed out before the business failed.
Also, bale (for defs. 1–3).

Origin:
1425–75; late ME bayle < MF baille a bucket < VL *bāi(u)la; akin to L bāiulus carrier. See bail 1

Ba⋅sel

  [bah-zuhl]
–noun
1. a city in and the capital of Basel-Stadt, in NW Switzerland, on the Rhine River. 192,800.
2. a canton in N Switzerland, divided into two independent areas.
Also, Basle.
French, Bâle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bale
bale 1   (bāl)   
n.  A large package of raw or finished material tightly bound with twine or wire and often wrapped: a bale of hay.
tr.v.   baled, bal·ing, bales
To wrap in a bale or in bales: a machine that bales cotton.

[Middle English, from Old French; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
bal'er n.
bale 2   (bāl)   
n.  

  1. Evil: "Tidings of bale she brought" (William Cullen Bryant).

  2. Mental suffering; anguish: "Relieve my spirit from the bale that bows it down" (Benjamin Disraeli).


[Middle English, from Old English bealu.]
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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Slang Dictionary
bail (out)

  1. in.
    to resign or leave; to get free of someone or something. : Albert bailed just before he got fired.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

bail  (n.1)
"bond money," 1485, developed from "temporary release from jail" (1466), and that from earlier meaning "captivity, custody" (1259). From O.Fr. baillier "control, guard, deliver," from L. bajulare "to bear a burden," from bajulus "porter," of unknown origin.

bale 
"large bundle or package," c.1325, from O.Fr. bale "rolled-up bundle," from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. balla "ball"), from P.Gmc. *ball-, from PIE *bhel- "to blow, swell" (see bole).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: bail
Function: transitive verb
1 : to release on bail
2 : to obtain the release of by giving bail —often used with out
3 : to place (personal property) under a bailment bailed —Peet v. Roth Hotel Company, 253 North Western Reporter 546 (1934)>
NOTE: Property is usually bailed by putting it temporarily in the custody of another for a specific purpose, as safekeeping or delivery to a third party.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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