peal

See also peel

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /piːl/, X-SAMPA: /pi:l/
  • Homophones: peel
  • Rhymes: -iːl

Noun

peal (plural peals)

1. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.
   • 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

     And, falling on a bench, he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks, I could not help joining; and we laughed together, peal after peal...

Translations

loud sound

• Finnish: kumina (fi), kumu (fi), jylinä (fi), jyly (fi), jyrinä (fi), jyrähdys (fi)

• Japanese: 雷鳴 raimei, a "thunderclap"

Verb

peal (third-person singular simple present peals, present participle pealing, simple past and past participle pealed)

1. (intransitive) To sound with a peal or peals.
   • 1864: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christmas Bells

     Then pealed the bells more loud and deep...

   • 1939: Bing Crosby, In My Merry Oldsmobile

     To the church we'll swiftly steal, then our wedding bells will peal,

     You can go as far you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile.

   • 2006: New York Times

     The bell pealed 20 times, clanging into the dusk as Mr. Bush’s motorcade drove off.

2. (transitive) To utter or sound loudly.
   • J. Barlow

     The warrior's name, / Though pealed and chimed on all the tongues of fame.

3. (transitive) To assail with noise.
   • Milton

     Nor was his ear less pealed.

4. (UK, dialect) To pour out.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

Translations

to sound with a peal

• Finnish: kumistaa (fi), soittaa (fi) (transitive); kumista (fi), soida (fi) (intransitive)

Anagrams

• leap
• pale
• plea

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Estonian

Etymology

Adessive case of pea.

Noun

peal

1. Adessive singular form of pea.

Postposition

peal

1. on, on top of