regale

See also: Regale, régalé, régale, and regalé

English

WOTD – 30 May 2007

Etymology

From French régaler (“to entertain, feast”), from Old French regale, rigale, from gale (“merriment”), probably of Germanic origin (see Old French galer). Influenced by Old French se rigoler (“amuse oneself, rejoice”), of unknown origin. Compare Middle High German begalen (“to charm; enchant”), English gale (“to sing; charm”). Compare also English gala.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈɡeɪl/, /ɹəˈɡeɪl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪl

Noun

regale (plural regales)

1. A feast, meal.
   • 1831, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Romance and Reality, volume 2, page 136:

     The noise from the servants' hall was rendered more acutely painful by her headach; for her aunt, partly with a view of annoying her niece, whom she disliked—as we always dislike those we have used ill—had left orders for a general regale.

Translations

a feast, meal

• Bulgarian: угощение (bg) n (ugoštenie), пиршество (bg) n (piršestvo)
• French: festin (fr) m
• German: Gastmahl (de) n

• Russian: пир (ru) m (pir)
• Turkish: ziyafet (tr)

Verb

regale (third-person singular simple present regales, present participle regaling, simple past and past participle regaled)

1. (transitive) To please or entertain (someone). [from 17th c.]
   • 2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club‎^[1], archived from the original on 7 December 2017:

     You’ve Got Mail is certainly the basic model for the plot, which finds corporate candy shill Joel ([Paul] Rudd) and indie-sweetshop owner Molly ([Amy] Poehler) regaling their dinner companions with the very long, digressive story of how they met and fell in love.

2. (transitive) To provide hospitality for (someone); to supply with abundant food and drink. [from 17th c.]
3. (obsolete, intransitive) To feast (on, with something). [17th-19th c.]
   • 1723, Charles Walker, Memoirs of Sally Salisbury, V:

     she hardly lets a Week pass without making the Lady Abbess and her Nuns a Visit, to regale with a Cup of burnt Brandy.

4. (figuratively, transitive) To entertain with something that delights; to gratify; to refresh.

   to regale the taste, the eye, or the ear

Translations

to please someone with entertainment

• Bulgarian: забавлявам (bg) (zabavljavam)
• French: régaler (fr)
• German: ergötzen (de)
• Italian: dilettare (it)
• Maori: whakangahau, whakaharakoa, whakarekareka

• Russian: весели́ть (ru) impf (veselítʹ), развлека́ть (ru) impf (razvlekátʹ)
• Spanish: regalar (es)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} zevk-ü sefa içinde yaşamak

to provide a meal and entertainment

• Aromanian: filipsescu, uspitedz
• Bulgarian: угощавам (bg) (ugoštavam)
• Dutch: onthalen (nl)
• French: régaler (fr)
• German: festlich bewirten
• Maori: taurima

• Romanian: ospăta (ro)
• Russian: угоща́ть (ru) impf (ugoščátʹ), по́тчевать (ru) impf (pótčevatʹ)
• Spanish: regalar (es)
• Turkish: ağarlamak

Anagrams

• Alegre, Eargle, Legare, Reagle, aleger

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Italian

Etymology

From Latin rēgālis, rēgālem. Doublet of reale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /reˈɡa.le/
• Rhymes: -ale
• Hyphenation: re‧gà‧le

Adjective

regale (plural regali)

1. royal
2. regal

Related terms

• re
• regalismo
• regalità
• regalmente

Anagrams

• algere, galere, gelare, gelerà, legare, relega

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Latin

Adjective

rēgāle

1. nominative neuter singular of rēgālis
2. accusative neuter singular of rēgālis
3. vocative neuter singular of rēgālis

References

• regale in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

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Polish

Noun

regale m

1. locative singular of regał
2. vocative singular of regał

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Spanish

Verb

regale

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of regalar.
2. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of regalar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of regalar.