bale1

[beyl] /beɪl/
noun
1.
a large bundle or package prepared for shipping, storage, or sale, especially one tightly compressed and secured by wires, hoops, cords, or the like, and sometimes having a wrapping or covering:
a bale of cotton; a bale of hay.
2.
a group of turtles.
verb (used with object), baled, baling.
3.
to make or form into bales:
to bale wastepaper for disposal.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-Latin bala, Anglo-French bale pack, bale < Frankish *balla; compare Old High German balo, akin to balla ball1
Related forms
baleless, adjective
baler, noun

bale2

[beyl] /beɪl/
noun, Archaic.
1.
evil; harm; misfortune.
2.
woe; misery; sorrow.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English; Old English bealu, balu; cognate with Old Norse bǫl, Old Saxon balu, Old High German balo, Gothic balw-; akin to Russian bolʾ pain, OCS bolŭ ill

bale3

[beyl] /beɪl/
noun
1.
bail2 .

bale4

[beyl] /beɪl/
verb (used with object), verb (used without object), baled, baling.
1.
bail3 (defs 1–3).

Bâle

[bahl] /bɑl/
noun
1.
French name of Basel.
Examples from the web for bale
  • Mechanical reapers became even more efficient when adapted to bale the stalks into sheaves, too.
  • If their theory is correct, they're no longer searching for a needle in a haystack-merely a needle in a bale of hay.
  • We bought a bale of straw and left it in the backyard.
  • The green netting you see on the blocks is bale wrap.
  • He would literally carry the entire bale of straw around.
  • Poe's life was tragic, but he was about as unworldly as a bale of cotton.
  • bale weights vary in other cotton-producing countries due to differing moisture content when cotton is compressed.
  • Serious straw bale: a home construction guide for all climates.
  • Straw bale structures cannot be designed for large storms and tend to fail during large runoff events.
  • Alfalfa hay storage losses study as influenced by bale type and storage method.
British Dictionary definitions for bale

bail2

/beɪl/
verb
1.
(often foll by out) to remove (water) from (a boat)
Derived Forms
bailer, baler, noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French baille bucket, from Latin bāiulus carrier

bail4

/beɪl/
noun
1.
the semicircular handle of a kettle, bucket, etc
2.
a semicircular support for a canopy
3.
a movable bar on a typewriter that holds the paper against the platen
Word Origin
C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse beygja to bend

bale1

/beɪl/
noun
1.
a large bundle, esp of a raw or partially processed material, bound by ropes, wires, etc, for storage or transportation: bale of hay
2.
a large package or carton of goods
3.
(US) 500 pounds of cotton
4.
a group of turtles
5.
(Austral & NZ) See wool bale
verb
6.
to make (hay, etc) into a bale or bales
7.
to put (goods) into packages or cartons
8.
(Austral & NZ) to pack and compress (wool) into wool bales
See also bail out
Word Origin
C14: probably from Old French bale, from Old High German ballaball1

bale2

/beɪl/
noun (archaic)
1.
evil; injury
2.
woe; suffering; pain
Word Origin
Old English bealu; related to Old Norse böl evil, Gothic balwa, Old High German balo

bale3

/beɪl/
verb
1.
a variant spelling of bail2

bale4

/beɪl/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of bail4

Bâle

/bɑl/
noun
1.
the French name for Basle
Word Origin and History for bale
n.

"large bundle or package," early 14c., from Old French bale "rolled-up bundle," from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German balla "ball"), from Proto-Germanic *ball-, from PIE *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell" (see bole).