Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Wale?

\Wale\, n. [AS. walu a mark of stripes or blows, probably originally, a rod; akin to Icel. v["o]lr, Goth. walus a rod, staff. [root]146. Cf. {Goal}, {Weal} a wale.] 1. A streak or mark made on the skin by a rod or whip; a stripe; a wheal. See {Wheal}. --Holland. 2. A ridge or streak rising above the surface, as of cloth; hence, the texture of cloth. Thou 'rt rougher far, And of a coarser wale, fuller of pride. --Beau & Fl. 3. (Carp.) A timber bolted to a row of piles to secure them together and in position. --Knight. 4. (Naut.) (a) pl. Certain sets or strakes of the outside planking of a vessel; as, the main wales, or the strakes of planking under the port sills of the gun deck; channel wales, or those along the spar deck, etc. (b) A wale knot, or wall knot. {Wale knot}. (Naut.) See {Wall knot}, under 1st {Wall}.
\Wale\, v. t. 1. To mark with wales, or stripes. 2. To choose; to select; specifically (Mining), to pick out the refuse of (coal) by hand, in order to clean it. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]