bale
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bale¹
- /beɪl/
Sounds like bail · Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English bale (“evil”), from Old English bealu, from Proto-West Germanic *balu, from Proto-Germanic *balwą.
Cognate with Low German bal- (“bad, ill”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (balweins, “torture”), Old High German balo (“destruction”), Old Norse bǫl (“disaster”).
noun
- Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
- Suffering, woe, torment. That other ſwayne, like aſhes deadly pale, Lay in the lap of death, rewing his wretched bale.
bale²
- /beɪl/
Sounds like bail · Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English bale (“pyre, funeral pyre”), from Old English bǣl (“pyre, funeral pyre”), from Proto-Germanic *bēlą (“pyre”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine; gleam; sparkle”). Cognate with Old Norse bál (which may have been the direct source for the English word).
noun bales
- A large fire, a conflagration or bonfire.
- A funeral pyre.
- A beacon-fire.
bale³
- /beɪl/
Sounds like bail · Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
From Middle English bale (“bale”), from Old French bale and Medieval Latin bala, of Germanic origin. Doublet of ball.
noun bales
- A rounded bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation. So having made up my mind, I packed up in bales a quantity of precious stuffs suited for sea-trade and repaired with them from Baghdad-city to Bassorah-town, where I found ship ready for sea, and in her a company of considerable merchants.
- A bundle of compressed fibers (especially hay, straw, cotton, or wool), compacted for shipping and handling and bound by twine or wire. What I claim therein as new, and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is the within described apparatus for forming a bale of cotton under pressure on a spindle or revolving rod,...
- A measurement of hay equal to 10 flakes. Approximately 70-90 lbs (32-41 kg).
- A measurement of paper equal to 10 reams.
- A block of compressed cannabis.
- A group of turtles. The San Diego Freeway traffic is as slow as a bale of turtles.
verb bales · baling · baled
- To wrap into a bale.
bale⁴
- /beɪl/
Sounds like bail · Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
Alternative spelling of bail.
verb bales · baling · baled
- To remove water from a boat with buckets etc.
bale⁵
- /beɪl/
Sounds like bail · Rhymes with -eɪl
Where it comes from
Alternative spelling of balei.
noun
- Alternative spelling of balei
Bale⁶
- /beɪl/
proper noun
- A surname.
Bale⁷
proper noun
- A municipality of Croatia.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: basle, basel, bunch, bundle, packaging, package, packing, ball, pell, gunshot, bill, bullet, boot, bell, slug, ville
Translations
Every language
noun rounded bundle of goods
| Español | bala |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 俵 tawara |
| 中文 | 捆包 kǔnbāo, 包 bāo, 捆 kǔn |
| Português | fardo |
| Français | ballot |
| Deutsch | Ballen |
| Italiano | balla |
| Ελληνικά | βασταγή vastagí |
| Русский | тюк tjuk, ки́па kípa |
noun measurement of hay
| Français | botte |
|---|
noun measurement of paper
| Español | bala |
|---|
verb to wrap into a bale
| Español | embalar |
|---|---|
| Português | enfardar |
| Deutsch | paketieren |
Talk about this word "bale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bale. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. bale. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bale "bale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bale.Cite this
@misc{bale_2026,
title = {bale},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bale},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
