pâle

See also: Appendix:Variations of "pale"

French

Etymology

From Old French pale, palle, from Latin pallidus (“pale, pallid”). In Old French one would expect a syncopated *paut, *paude; the form pal(l)e requires a lack of syncope. According to Trésor de la langue française it is a borrowing, though it might also reflect a regional development. Doublet of pallide.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pal/ ~ /pɑl/

• Audio:

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Homophones: pâles (general), pal, pale, pales, pals (chiefly France)

Adjective

pâle (plural pâles)

1. pale (light in color)
2. pale (lacking brightness)
3. pale (dull)

Derived terms

• faire pâle figure
• pâleur
• pâlir
• se faire porter pâle

Descendants

• → Romanian: pal

See also

• blanc comme un linge

Further reading

• “pâle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• Alep, lape, lapé, pela

Norman

Etymology 1

From Old French paille, from Latin palea.

Noun

pâle f (plural pâles)

1. (Jersey, continental) straw

Alternative forms

• pâlle (Jersey)
• païle (Guernsey)

Etymology 2

Verb

pâle

1. first-person singular present indicative of pâler
2. third-person singular present indicative of pâler
3. second-person singular imperative of pâler