wale
/ˈweɪl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.67 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The texture of a piece of fabric.
noun
A horizontal ridge or ledge on the outside planking of a wooden ship, such as a gunwale or a chainwale.
noun
A horizontal timber used for supporting or retaining earth.
noun
A ridge on the outside of a horse collar.
Example Sentences
- "Most twills are continuous—the wale goes from one corner to the one diagonally opposite. Pattern, however, can be achieved by periodically changing the direction of the wales."
- "I have woven a small sample of striped corduroy shown here. […] The stripe draws the eye from side to side while the wales draw the eye up and down."
- "The fabric may be further described according to the number of wales per inch: Corduroy known as fine wale, pin-wale, or needle wale has very thin wales (usually twelve or more per inch, i.e., the width of a pin), while wide wale corduroy has thicker wales (usually six or fewer per inch)."
- "Crepon cloths, with their heavy crape-like wale, are a noteworthy part of the season's importations."
- "The strakes between the several ranges of ports, beginning from under the upper-deck ports of a three-decked ship in the royal navy, are called the channel wale, the middle wale, and the main wale."
- "A few feet below the first wale another timber is inserted, likewise secured by struts."
Etymology
The noun is from Middle English wāle (“planking, welt”), from Old English walu (“ridge, bank; rib, comb (of helmet); metal ridge on top of helmet; weal, mark of a blow”), from Proto-Germanic *waluz (“stick, root”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Akin to Low German wāle; Old Norse vala (“knuckle”). The verb is from late Middle English wālen, from the noun.