Main Entry:

mall

Pronunciation:

\ˈmȯl, especially British & for 1 ˈmal\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

short for obsolete pall-mall mallet used in pall-mall

Date:

1644

1: an alley used for pall-mall2 [The Mall, promenade in London, originally a pall-mall alley] a: a usually public area often set with shade trees and designed as a promenade or as a pedestrian walk b: a usually paved or grassy strip between two roadways3 a: an urban shopping area featuring a variety of shops surrounding a usually open-air concourse reserved for pedestrian traffic b: a usually large suburban building or group of buildings containing various shops with associated passageways