bale
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) .
Noun
(
-)
Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
Suffering, woe, torment.
* 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , VI.7:
- That other swayne, like ashes deadly pale, / Lay in the lap of death, rewing his wretched bale .
Derived terms
* baleful
Etymology 2
Form (etyl) (which may have been the direct source for the English word).
Noun
(
en noun)
(obsolete) A large fire, a conflagration or bonfire.
(archaic) A funeral pyre.
(archaic) A beacon-fire.
Derived terms
* balefire
* baleful
Etymology 3
Precise derivation uncertain: perhaps from (etyl) (m), (m), from , from (etyl); or perhaps from (etyl) (m), itself borrowed from (etyl).
Noun
(
en noun)
A rounded bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation.
A bundle of compressed wool or hay, compacted for shipping and handling.
A measurement of hay equal to 10 flakes. Approximately 70-90 lbs (32-41 kg).
A measurement of paper equal to 10 reams.
Derived terms
* bale of dice
Coordinate terms
* (measurement of paper) bundle, quire, ream
See also
*
Verb
(bal)
To wrap into a bale.
Etymology 4
Alternative spelling of (bail)
Verb
(bal)
(British, nautical) To remove water from a boat with buckets etc.
See also
*
