What does "wale" mean?
A ridge or low barrier.
Wale
/ˈweɪl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A ridge or low barrier.
- Grammar: wale is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: welt, abscess, aposteme, bed sore.
- Useful contrasts: clear skin, flat surface, flatten.
- Usage evidence: 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.
How to use "wale"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wale" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wale" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wale" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wale" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wale" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "welt" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wale", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A ridge or low barrier.
- 2 Something selected as being the best, preference; choice. Northern-England, Scotland
- 3 thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship wordnet
- 4 A raised rib in knitted goods or fabric, especially corduroy.
"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."
- 5 a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 The texture of a piece of fabric.
"Crepon cloths, with their heavy crape-like wale, are a noteworthy part of the season's importations."
- 7 A horizontal ridge or ledge on the outside planking of a wooden ship. (See gunwale, chainwale)
"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."
- 8 A horizontal timber used for supporting or retaining earth.
"A few feet below the first wale another timber is inserted, likewise secured by struts."
- 9 A timber bolted to a row of piles to secure them together and in position.
"Except Plank upon the Head of the Key, and under the upper Wale, and Plank to join the piles."
- 10 A ridge on the outside of a horse collar.
"The wale is shaped to the size of the horse's neck, and then sewn together, with a flap, known as the 'barge', left free along one side. To this 'barge' the body of the collar is sewn."
- 11 A ridge or streak produced on skin by a cane or whip.
"Shall then that foule infamous Cyneds hide Laugh at the purple wales of others side?"
Verb
- 1 To strike the skin in such a way as to produce a wale or welt.
"Would suffer his lazy rider to bestride his patie: back, with his hands and whip to wale his flesh, and with his heels to dig into his hungry bowels?"
- 2 To choose, select. Northern-England, Scotland
- 3 To beat a person, especially as punishment or out of anger.
"When faced with an adulthood that offered few options, grinding poverty and marriage to a man who drank too much and came home to wale on his own family or...no beatings."
- 4 To give a surface a texture of wales or welts.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"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."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wale"?
Common synonyms include: welt, abscess, aposteme, bed sore, bilge, birthmark.
How do you use "wale" in a sentence?
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.
How do you pronounce "wale"?
Pronounced /ˈweɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
From Middle English wale, wal, from Old Norse val (“choice”), from Proto-Germanic *walą, *walō (“desire, choice”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, want”). Akin to Old Norse velja (“to choose”), Old High German wala "choice" (German Wahl "choice"), Old English willan (“to want”). More at will.