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)

• Rhymes: -eɪl

Noun

regale (plural regales)

1. A feast, meal.

Translations

a feast, meal

• 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.]
   • 26 June 2014, A.A Dowd, AV Club Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler spoof rom-com clichés in They Came Together[1]

     You’ve Got Mail is certainly the basic model for the plot, which finds corporate candy shill Joel (Rudd) and indie-sweetshop owner Molly (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

• French: régaler (fr)
• German: ergötzen (de)
• 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
• 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.

Adjective

regale (masculine and feminine plural regali)

1. royal
2. regal

Related terms

• re
• regalismo
• regalità
• regalmente

Anagrams

• 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, 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.