peal

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /piːl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Homophone: peel
• Rhymes: -iːl

Etymology 1

From Middle English pele, peil, probably an apheretic variant of Middle English apel, appel, from Old French apel (“an appeal; pealing of bells”). Compare appeal.

Noun

peal (plural peals)

1. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 174, column 2:

     Whether thoſe peales of praiſe be his or no.

   • a. 1628 (date written), John Hayward, The Life, and Raigne of King Edward the Sixt, London: for Iohn Partridge, , published 1630, →OCLC:

     a fair peal of artillery

   • 1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: Printed for John Murray, , →OCLC, stanza XXV:

     and the deep thunder, peal on peal, afar

   • 1828, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter XVI, in Pelham; or, The Adventures of a Gentleman. , volume I, London: Henry Colburn, , →OCLC, page 112:

     Mrs. Green burst out into one of those peals so peculiarly British.

   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     And, falling on a bench, he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks, I could not help joining; and we laughed together, peal after peal […]

   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     And she has half a mind to weep again now, for Jack Brotherhood, as the front doorbell sounds through the house like a bugle call, three short peals as ever.

2. (collective) A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale.
   • 1908, H. B. Walters, chapter 1, in Church Bells‎:

     Ingulphus, the chronicler of Croyland Abbey, mentions that a peal of seven bells was put up there in the tenth century, and that there was not such a harmonious peal in the whole of England; which implies that rings of bells were then common.

3. The changes rung on a set of bells; in the strict sense a full peal of at least 5040 changes.

Derived terms

• dumb peal
• peal of bells

Translations

Verb

peal (third-person singular simple present peals, present participle pealing, simple past and past participle pealed)

1. (intransitive) To sound with a peal or peals.
   • 1864, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christmas Bells:

     Then pealed the bells more loud and deep...

   • 1939 [1905], “In My Merry Oldsmobile”, Vincent P. Bryan (lyrics), Gus Edwards (music), performed by Bing Crosby:

     To the church we'll swiftly steal, then our wedding bells will peal, / You can go as far you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile

   • 2006 September 11, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Bush Mourns 9/11 at Ground Zero as N.Y. Remembers”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     The bell pealed 20 times, clanging into the dusk as Mr. Bush’s motorcade drove off.

2. (transitive) To utter or sound loudly.
   • 1807, Joel Barlow, The Columbiad:

     The warrior's name, / Though pealed and chimed on all the tongues of fame.

3. (transitive) To assail with noise.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:

     Nor was his ear less pealed.

4. (intransitive) To resound; to echo.
   • 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Cumberland:

     And the whole air pealed / With the cheers of our men.

5. (obsolete) To appeal.
   • c. 1450, The Boke of Curtasye:

     To A baron of chekker þay mun hit pele'.

Derived terms

• peal out

Translations

Etymology 2

Uncertain.

Alternative forms

• peel

Noun

peal (plural peals)

1. A small salmon; a grilse; a sewin.

Anagrams

• Alep, LEAP, Lape, Leap, e-pal, leap, pale, pale-, pela, plea

Estonian

Etymology

Adessive case of pea.

Noun

peal

1. adessive singular of pea

Postposition

peal

1. on, on top of