wale – English noun declension

English noun forms of wale

Noun: wale
Singularwale
Pluralwales

Sample Sentences

  • Most twills are continuous—the wale goes from one corner to the one diagonally opposite. Pattern, however, can be achieved by periodically changing the direction of the wales. [1979, Kax Wilson, A History of Textiles, Westview Press, →ISBN, pages 66-67:]
  • I have woven a small sample of striped corduroy shown here. […] The stripe draws the eye from side to side while the wales draw the eye up and down. [1990, Sharon Alderman, A Handweaver's Notebook, →ISBN, page 50:]
  • The fabric may be further described according to the number of wales per inch: Corduroy known as fine wale, pin-wale, or needle wale has very thin wales (usually twelve or more per inch, i.e., the width of a pin), while wide wale corduroy has thicker wales (usually six or fewer per inch). [2008, Mary Lisa Gavenas, The Fairchild Encyclopedia of Menswear, page 99:]
  • Crepon cloths, with their heavy crape-like wale, are a noteworthy part of the season's importations. [1892, “Family Fashions and Fancies”, in Good Housekeeping, volume 14, page 85:]
  • The strakes between the several ranges of ports, beginning from under the upper-deck ports of a three-decked ship in the royal navy, are called the channel wale, the middle wale, and the main wale. [1863, Andrew Murray, Ship-building in Iron and Wood, page 93:]
  • A few feet below the first wale another timber is inserted, likewise secured by struts. [1889 February 23, Architecture and Building: A Journal of Investment and Construction, volume 10, page 63:]
  • Except Plank upon the Head of the Key, and under the upper Wale, and Plank to join the piles. [1754, Thomas Gardner, An Historical Account of Dunwich […] :]
  • The wale is shaped to the size of the horse's neck, and then sewn together, with a flap, known as the 'barge', left free along one side. To this 'barge' the body of the collar is sewn. [1976, Ralph Whitlock, Gentle giants: the past, present and future of the heavy horse, page 133:]
  • Shall then that foule infamous Cyneds hide Laugh at the purple wales of others side? [1597, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in Virgidemiarum, Sixe Bookes. First Three Bookes, of Tooth-lesse Satyrs. […], London: […] Thomas Creede, for Robert Dexter, →OCLC:]
  • When the rat had looked at the toad's whole body, and not seen any wale of a stick, he said to the toad, "Brother toad, I have looked at thy whole body, and not seen any wale of a stick: thou art right." [1854, S. W. Koelle, African Native Literature, Or Proverbs, Tales, Fables and Historical in the Kanuri Or Bornu Language:]
  • I ran to her, and when I reached her I saw across the white skin of her shoulders the distinct wale of a whip. [2018, Seabury Quinn, The Dark Angel: The Complete Tales of Jules de Grandin, Volume Three:]

Etymology

The noun is from Middle English wāle (“planking, welt”), from Old English walu (“ridge, bank; rib, comb (of helmet); metal ridge on top of helmet; weal, mark of a blow”), from Proto-Germanic *waluz (“stick, root”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Akin to Low German wāle; Old Norse vala (“knuckle”). The verb is from late Middle English wālen, from the noun. See: Middle English Nouns 'wale', Old English Nouns 'walu'.