squall
/ˈskwɔːl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.67 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To fall suddenly and forcefully, as if a squall.
noun
A sudden storm, as found in a squall line.
noun
A squall line, multicell line, or part of a squall line.
Example Sentences
- "Sow ran and squall'd, While Jack he bawl'd, And Jill join'd in the choir, Dog Ball being near, Bit sow by the ear, And threw Jack into the mire."
- "Squalling was the word for it, Pew's anger rose so high at these objections; till at last, his passion completely taking the upper hand, he struck at them right and left in his blindness, and his stick sounded heavily on more than one."
- "Squalling like an infuriated cat, the shadow crashed down"
- "The orchestra burst into a sudden loud squalling."
- "Some night-bird, belike, or a sea-gull squalling below the headland."
- "she wrapped the squalling, wriggling baby tightly into the fine cotton sheet"
Etymology
From Middle English *squalen and squelen (“to cry, scream, squall”), from Old Norse skvala (“to cry out”), probably ultimately imitative with influence from squeal and bawl. Cognate with Swedish skvala (“to gush, pour down”), Norwegian skval (“sudden rush of water”). The noun is probably from the verb.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *squalen, skvala