| gale | |
| 1. v. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To sing; charm; enchant. | |
| 2. v. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To cry; groan; croak. | |
| 3. v. (intransitive, of a person, now chiefly dialectal) To talk. | |
| 4. v. (intransitive, of a bird, Scotland) To call. | |
| 5. v. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To sing; utter with musical modulations. | |
| 6. n. (meteorology) A very strong wind, more than a breeze, less than a storm; number 7 through to 9 winds on the 12-step Beaufort scale. | |
| 7. n. An outburst, especially of laughter. | |
| a gale of laughter | |
| 8. n. (archaic) A light breeze. | |
| 9. n. (obsolete) A song or story. | |
| 10. v. (nautical) To sail, or sail fast. | |
| 11. n. A shrub, also called sweet gale or bog myrtle (Myrica gale), that grows on moors and fens. | |
| 12. n. (archaic) A periodic payment, such as is made of a rent or annuity. | |
| Gale day - the day on which rent or interest is due. | |
