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SEAL

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seal¹

  • /siːl/
  • /siː.əl/

Sounds like SEAL, ceil, seel, Cel · Rhymes with -iːl

Where it comes from

From Middle English sel, from an inflectional form of Old English seolh, from Proto-West Germanic *selh, from Proto-Germanic *selhaz (compare Scots selch,selkie, North Frisian selich, Middle Dutch seel, zēle, Old High German selah, Danish sæl, Middle Low German sale, Icelandic selur), either from Proto-Indo-European *selk- (“to pull”) (compare dialectal English sullow (“plough”)) or from early Proto-Finnic *šülkeš (later *hülgeh, compare dialectal Finnish hylki, standard hylje, Estonian hüljes).

noun seals

  1. A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal. The seals in the harbor looked better than they smelled.

verb seals · sealing · sealed

  1. intransitive To hunt seals. They're organizing a protest against sealing.

seal²

  • /siːl/
  • /siː.əl/

Sounds like SEAL, ceil, seel, Cel · Rhymes with -iːl

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sek-?

Proto-Indo-European *-nóm

Proto-Italic *segnom

Latin signum

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Latin -lum

Latin sigillum

Anglo-Norman seelbor.

Middle English sel

English seal

Inherited from Middle English sel, sele, from Anglo-Norman seel, from Latin sigillum, a diminutive of signum (“sign”).

Doublet of sigil and sigillum.

noun seals

  1. A stamp used to impress a design on a soft substance such as wax. She [Nature] carved thee for her seal, and meant thereby Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die.
  2. An impression of such stamp on wax, paper or other material used for sealing.
  3. A facsimile of an impression of such stamp that is a mark or symbol of an office or organisation. The front of the podium bore the presidential seal.
  4. Anything that secures or authenticates.
  5. Something which will be visibly damaged if a covering or container is opened, and which may or may not bear an official design. The result was declared invalid, as the seal on the meter had been broken.
  6. figuratively Confirmation or approval, or an indication of this. Her clothes always had her mom's seal of approval.
  7. Something designed to prevent liquids or gases from leaking through a joint. The canister is leaking. I think the main seal needs to be replaced.
  8. A tight closure, secure against leakage. Close the lid tightly to get a good seal.
  9. A chakra.

verb seals · sealing · sealed

  1. transitive To place a seal on (a document).
  2. To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal size, or merchantable quality. to seal weights and measures
  3. transitive To fasten (something) so that it cannot be opened without visible damage. The cover is sealed. If anyone tries to open it, we'll know about it.
  4. transitive To prevent people or vehicles from crossing (something). The border has been sealed until the fugitives are found.
  5. transitive To close securely to prevent leakage. I've sealed the bottle to keep the contents fresh.
  6. transitive To place in a sealed container. I've sealed the documents in this envelope.
  7. transitive To place a notation of one's next move in a sealed envelope to be opened after an adjournment. After thinking for half an hour, the champion sealed his move.
  8. transitive To guarantee. The last-minute goal sealed United’s win.
  9. To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement or plaster, etc. Sealed to this wall by their rims were cazuelas ( earthenware bowls).
  10. To close by means of a seal. to seal a drainpipe with water
  11. Mormonism To bind eternally as family members. If a man once married desires a second helpmate […] she is sealed to him under the solemn sanction of the church.
  12. To form a sacred commitment. What was that office, or work, to which his Father sealed him? I answer, more generally, he was sealed to the whole work of mediation for us, thereby to recover and save all the elect, whom the Father had given him:
  13. transitive To fry (meat) at a high temperature to retain the juices. Seal the meat and continue frying until nicely browned.

seal³

  • /siːl/
  • /siː.əl/

Sounds like SEAL, ceil, seel, Cel · Rhymes with -iːl

Where it comes from

From Middle English *selen (suggested by Middle English sele (“harness; hame”)), perhaps from Old English sǣlan (“to bind”).

verb seals · sealing · sealed

  1. dialectal To tie up animals (especially cattle) in their stalls.

SEAL⁴

Sounds like ceil, seal

noun SEALs

  1. abbreviation, ellipsis Ellipsis of Navy SEAL (“member of the Sea, Air, Land unit”).Navy SEAL Enough people connected to the SEALs and the bin Laden mission have confirmed for me that the Shooter was the "number two" behind the raid's point man going up the stairs to bin Laden's third-floor residence […] The point man is the only one besides the Shooter who could verify the kill shots firsth

Seal⁵

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, spelling variant of Sale.

* As an occupational English surname, related to seal.

* As an occupational English surname, from Old French sele (“saddle”).

* As an English nickname-derived surname, from seal (the animal).

* As a Jewish surname, spelling variant or semantic loan of Siegel.

proper noun Seals

  1. A surname.
  2. A village in Sevenoaks district, Kent, England.

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