hail

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   When small balls of ice fall from the sky.

   They say it's going to hail tomorrow.

2. 2
   verb

   To call out to someone or signal a taxi to stop.

   She stepped into the street to hail a cab.

3. 3
   verb

   To praise someone or something publicly and with enthusiasm.

   Critics hailed the young pianist as a genius.

4. 4
   verb

   To come originally from a particular place.

   They hail from a small town in Scotland.

5. 5
   noun

   A large number of things sent forcefully through the air at once.

   The soldiers ran through a hail of bullets.

Simplified etymology

Hail meaning “to greet” is recorded from Middle English. It is related to the second elements of the Old Norse toasts wassail and drinkhail, as well as to Old English hale and whole.

From Middle English hayle, haile, hail, hawel, haghil, haȝel, from Old English hæġl, hæġel, hagol (“hail”), from Proto-West Germanic *hagl, from Proto-Germanic *haglaz, of uncertain origin. Either from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰlos (“pebble”); or alternatively from *ḱoḱló-, a reduplication of *ḱel- (“cold”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hail (“hail”), West Frisian heil (“hail”), Dutch hagel (“hail”), Low German Hagel (“hail”), German Hagel (“hail”), Danish hagl (“hail”), Swedish hagel (“hail”), Icelandic hagl (“hail”). Compare also Old Norse héla (“frost”). Doublet of haglaz, if the second et…

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