pale

1 of 5

adjective

paler; palest
1
a
: deficient in color or intensity of color : pallid
a pale complexion
b(1)
: having color of reduced saturation (see saturation sense 4a)
a pale pink
(2)
: light in color especially relative to others of its kind
pale beers
2
: not bright or brilliant : dim
a pale sun shining through the fog
3
: feeble, faint
a pale imitation
palely adverb
paleness noun
palish adjective

pale

2 of 5

verb (1)

paled; paling

intransitive verb

: to become pale

transitive verb

: to make pale

pale

3 of 5

noun

1
: an area or the limits within which one is privileged or protected (as from censure)
conduct that was beyond the pale
2
a
: a space or field having bounds : enclosure
The cattle were led into the pale.
b
: a territory or district within certain bounds or under a particular jurisdiction
British culture survived even within the Roman pale.
3
a
: one of the stakes of a palisade
4
: a perpendicular stripe on a heraldic shield
5
archaic : palisade, paling

pale

4 of 5

verb (2)

paled; paling

transitive verb

: to enclose with pales : fence

pale-

5 of 5

combining form

see paleo-

Examples of pale in a Sentence

Adjective the pale wood of the table The walls were painted a pale blue. She has a pale complexion. Her illness had left her pale and weak. She grew pale with fright. Are you feeling well? You look pale. the pale light of dawn Verb (1) the sun eventually paled my bright blue shirt
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Step 4 Bake until the cookies are pale on top and golden brown on bottom, 15–18 minutes. Ursula Ferrigno, Saveur, 3 Oct. 2024 Unsurprisingly, these numbers pale in comparison to the Sun’s first-round closeout of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on ESPN last Wednesday night. Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2024 Your poop may also be pale (clay-colored), large, and extremely foul-smelling. Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 27 Sep. 2024 But, as a Black man, those concerns pale in comparison to his experiences during Trump administration. Eleana Tworek, NPR, 22 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pale 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English pale, paal, palle, borrowed from Anglo-French pale, palle, paille (also continental Old French), borrowed (with loss of unstressed -id-) from Latin pallidus "pale, colorless," formed with the adjective suffix -idus from the same base as pallēre "to be pale or bloodless, have a pale color," pallor "paleness of complexion, loss of color" — more at fallow entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English palen, borrowed from Anglo-French palir (continental Old French palir, paloïr), going back (with conjugation change) to Latin pallēscere "to grow pale, turn a pale color," inchoative derivative of pallēre "to be pale or bloodless, have a pale color" — more at fallow entry 1

Noun and Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French pel, pal stake, from Latin palus — more at pole

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pale was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near pale

Cite this Entry

“Pale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pale. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

pale

1 of 3 adjective
paler; palest
1
a
: light in color or shade : not vivid
a pale pink
b
: not having the warm skin color of a person in good health : pallid
became pale
2
: not bright or brilliant : dim
pale sunshine
palely adverb
paleness noun

pale

2 of 3 verb
paled; paling
: to make or become pale

pale

3 of 3 noun
1
: a stake or picket of a fence
2
: an enclosed place
3
: territory within clearly marked bounds or under a particular authority
Etymology

Adjective

Middle English pale "lacking in color," from early French pale (same meaning), from Latin pallidus (same meaning), from pallēre "to be pale"

Noun

Middle English pale "paling, picket," from early French pal "stake," from Latin palus (same meaning) — related to travel see Word History at travel

Medical Definition

pale

adjective
paler; palest
: deficient in color or intensity of color
a pale face
paleness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on pale

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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