Added 8 October 2026
bale
/beɪl/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bale at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A large bundle bound for storage or transport.
- A city in northwestern Switzerland.
verb
-
Make into a bale.
bale hay
Origin
From Middle English bale (“evil”), from Old English bealu, from Proto-West Germanic *balu, from Proto-Germanic *balwą. Cognate with Low German bal- (“bad, ill”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (balweins, “torture”), Old High German balo (“destruction”), Old Norse bǫl (“disaster”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)