Regale
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A feast, a meal. rare
"And now a maiden […] ſupplied them, next, / With a reſplendent table, which the chaſte / Directreſs of the ſtores furniſh'd with bread / And dainties, remnants of the laſt regale."
- 2 a choice article of food or drink. archaic
- 3 refreshment. archaic
- 1 To please or entertain (someone), especially with stories, tales or jokes. transitive
"Please, regale us with your best tales!"
- 2 provide with choice or abundant food or drink wordnet
- 3 To provide hospitality for (someone); to supply with abundant food and drink. transitive
- 4 To feast (on, with something). intransitive, obsolete
"she hardly lets a Week pass without making the Lady Abbess and her Nuns a Visit, to regale with a Cup of burnt Brandy."
- 5 To entertain with something that delights; to gratify; to refresh. figuratively, transitive
"to regale the taste/the eye/the ear"
Example
More examples"And now a maiden […] ſupplied them, next, / With a reſplendent table, which the chaſte / Directreſs of the ſtores furniſh'd with bread / And dainties, remnants of the laſt regale."
Etymology
From French régaler (“to entertain, feast”), from Old French regale, rigale, from gale (“merriment”), probably of Germanic origin (see Old French galer). Influenced by Old French se rigoler (“amuse oneself, rejoice”), of unknown origin. Compare Middle High German begalen (“to charm; enchant”), English gale (“to sing; charm”). Compare also English gala.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.