bale

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a large quantity of material compressed and tightly bound for storage or transport

   The workers rolled a bale of cotton into the warehouse.

2. 2
   verb

   to compress and bind material into bales

   The farmers bale the hay as soon as it is dry.

3. 3
   verb

   chiefly British: to scoop water out of a boat; a spelling variant of bail

   The passengers had to bale water from the leaking dinghy.

The bundle noun came through Middle French bale from a Germanic source related to ball; the packaging verb developed from that noun. The nautical verb is a British spelling variant of bail and has a separate history associated with using a vessel to remove water.

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