Wale Definition

wāl

waled, wales, waling

noun

wales

A raised line or streak made on the skin by the slash of a stick or whip; welt; weal.

Webster's New World

A ridge on the surface of cloth, as corduroy.

Webster's New World

Texture of cloth.

Webster's New World

A band or ridge woven around the body of a basket to brace it.

Webster's New World

A gunwale.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

verb

waled, wales, waling

To mark (the skin) with wales.

Webster's New World

To make (cloth) or weave (wickerwork) with wales.

Webster's New World

To choose; pick out; select.

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Wale

Singular:

wale

Plural:

Middle English wal, wale, from Old Norse val (“choice”), from Proto-Germanic *walą, *walō (“desire, choice”), from Proto-Indo-European *(e)welə- (“to choose, wish”). Akin to Old Norse velja (“to choose”), Old High German wala "choice" (German wählen "to choose"), Old English willan (“to want”). More at will.

From Wiktionary
From Middle English wale, 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 *welʷ- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Akin to Low German wāle; Old Norse vala (“knuckle”).

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English variant of walu wel-² in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition