paul
paul Lexical Profile
paul Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(capitalized as Paul) A Christian apostle (circa 5–67 CE), originally known as Saul of Tarsus, whose missionary journeys and epistles formed a foundational part of the New Testament and early Christian theology.
"The theological writings of Paul greatly influenced the development of early Christian doctrine across the Mediterranean."
A pivoted bar, lever, or sliding catch designed to engage with the teeth of a ratchet wheel or capstan to prevent backward rotation; a variant spelling of pawl.
"The sailor checked that each paul on the windlass dropped cleanly into the ratchet teeth as the anchor chain was hauled in."
• verb
To secure or stop the backward rotation of a capstan, windlass, or ratchet wheel by engaging a pivoted catch (an older variant spelling of pawl).
"The crew was ordered to paul the capstan immediately before the heavy cable could slip back into the sea."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized as 'Paul', it refers to the common male given name or Saint Paul; in lowercase technical usage, 'paul' is an older variant spelling of 'pawl' and should not be confused with its homophones 'pall' (a dark cloud or coffin cloth) or 'paule'.
• Rhymes for paul
Word Origin & Etymology
The proper name derives via Old French from the Latin family name Paulus, meaning 'small' or 'humble'. The mechanical noun and verb are variant spellings of 'pawl', borrowed from Dutch pal ('stake' or 'catch'), ultimately from Latin palus ('stake').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.