bale
bale Lexical Profile
bale Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A large, tightly compressed bundle of raw or finished material (such as hay, straw, cotton, paper, or wool) bound with cord, wire, or wrapping for storage or transport.
"The farmers stacked the heavy bales of hay inside the barn before the autumn rain began."
Great evil, harm, woe, or sorrow (archaic or poetic).
"In the ancient epic, the hero sought to deliver his kingdom from the dragon's bale."
• verb
To gather, compress, and bind loose material (such as hay, cotton, or recyclable paper) into tight, secure bundles.
"Once the cut alfalfa has dried in the sun, the crew will bale it using a tractor-pulled baler."
British To scoop or dip water out of a boat using a bucket or container (a variant spelling of 'bail').
"The sailors had to bale furiously with plastic buckets to keep the dinghy from sinking."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'bale' with its homophone 'bail'. Use 'bale' for a compressed bundle of goods (such as hay or cotton) or the act of bundling them, and 'bail' for financial security to release a prisoner or scooping water out of a boat (though 'bale' is an accepted British variant for scooping water).
• Rhymes for bale
Word Origin & Etymology
The sense meaning 'a bundle' comes from Middle English via Old French 'bale' (rolled-up package), of Germanic origin and related to 'ball'. The archaic sense meaning 'evil or sorrow' derives separately from Old English 'bealu' (harm or wickedness).