hail

¹hail

noun \ˈhāl\

Definition of HAIL

1

: precipitation in the form of small balls or lumps usually consisting of concentric layers of clear ice and compact snow

2

: something that gives the effect of a shower of hail <a hail of rifle fire>

Origin of HAIL

Middle English, from Old English hægl; akin to Old High German hagal hail

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

Rhymes with HAIL

ail, ale, bail, bale, Bâle, brail, braille, Braille, dale, fail, flail, frail, Gael, gale, Gale, grail, hale, jail, kale, mail, male, nail, pail, pale, quail, Quayle, rail, sail, sale, scale, shale, snail, stale, swale, tael, tail, taille, tale, trail, vail, vale, veil, wail, wale, whale, Yale

²hail

intransitive verb

Definition of HAIL

1

: to precipitate hail <it was hailing hard>

2

: to pour down or strike like hail

First Known Use of HAIL

before 12th century

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

³hail

interjection

Definition of HAIL

1

archaic —used as a salutation

2

—used to express acclamation <hail to the chief — Sir Walter Scott>

Origin of HAIL

Middle English, from Old Norse heill, from heill healthy — more at whole

First Known Use: 13th century

⁴hail

verb

Definition of HAIL

transitive verb

1

a : salute, greet

b : to greet with enthusiastic approval : acclaim

2

: to greet or summon by calling <hail a taxi>

intransitive verb

: to call out; especially : to call a greeting to a passing ship

— hail·er \hā-lər\ noun

— hail from

: to be or have been native to or a resident of

First Known Use of HAIL

13th century

⁵hail

noun

Definition of HAIL

1

: an exclamation of greeting or acclamation

2

: a calling to attract attention

3

: hearing distance <stayed within hail>

First Known Use of HAIL

1500

hail

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Precipitation of balls or pieces of ice with a diameter of 0.2–4 in. (5 mm–10 cm). Small hail (also called sleet, or ice pellets) has a diameter of less than 0.2 in. Hail can be extremely destructive to buildings and crops; if it is large enough, it may be dangerous to animals. Hailstones 6 in. (15 cm) in diameter have fallen during storms in the U.S. Midwest. Hailstorms are most common in the middle latitudes and usually last around 15 minutes. They ordinarily occur in middle to late afternoon and may accompany thunderstorms.