wale

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈwāl 

1

a

: a streak or ridge made on the skin especially by the stroke of a whip : welt

b

: a narrow raised surface : ridge

2

: any of a number of strakes usually of extra thick and strong planks in the sides of a wooden ship

—usually used in plural

3

a

: one of a series of even ribs in a fabric

b

: the texture especially of a fabric

4

: a horizontal constructional member (as of timber or steel) used for bracing vertical members

wale

2 of 4

verb (1)

waled; waling

transitive verb

: to mark with welts

wale the skin

wale

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

dialectal British : choice

2

dialectal British : the best part : pick

wale

4 of 4

verb (2)

waled; waling; wales

dialectal British

: choose

Examples of wale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Buy Now on Mr Porter: $325 Photo : Todd Snyder Todd Snyder Wide Wale Corduroy Weekend Pant in Khaki Wide wale corduroy is a grandpa-core staple. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024

The thickness or wideness of the corduroy’s wale will have an impact on the overall appearance of the garment—finer wale looks more vintage and casual, and thicker, more robust wale looks more regal and impactful. —Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2023

Here, the double-soft combination of a pinwale shirt with jumbo-wale trousers makes a hardy waxed jacket look urbane enough for the office. —Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2021

Here, the wide-wale corduroy adds some substance to the retro camp collar shirt silhouette. —Maverick Li, Men's Health, 25 Jan. 2023

Boxy trucker jackets usually cut from denim now come ribbed, while fine-wale hoodies put a novel streetwear spin on the durable cloth that dates back to Ancient Egypt and exploded in popularity in the 1970s. —Jamie Waters, WSJ, 18 Jan. 2023

The ultra-soft cotton fabric features a wide-wale construction that looks sun-faded and properly broken-in. —Mike Richard, Men's Health, 16 Nov. 2022

The fugues, meanwhile, weave something more like the wale of a domestic fabric. —Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2022

This wide-legged, wide-wale pair wears like sweats while looking considerably smarter. —Kareem Rashed, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English walu; akin to Old Norse vǫlr staff and perhaps to Old Norse valr round, Latin volvere to roll — more at voluble

Noun (2)

Middle English (Scots & northern dialect) wal, from Old Norse val; akin to Old High German wala choice, Old English wyllan to wish — more at will

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

wale

noun

ˈwā(ə)l

: a narrow raised surface or ridge

especially : one of a series of even ribs on a fabric (as corduroy)