pall

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a heavy, fine canvas, especially one laid over a coffin or tomb

   The pall was a fine red color.

2. 2
   verb

   lose sparkle or bouquet

   Wine and beer can pall.

3. 3
   verb

   cause to become flat

   Pall the beer.

4. 4
   verb

   To become dull, insipid, tasteless, or vapid; to lose life, spirit, strength, or taste.

   The liquor palls.

Formed by aphesis from appal, appall (“(obsolete) to make pale; to weaken; to become weak; to lose flavour or become stale”), possibly under the influence of the figurative meaning of the unrelated noun pall. Alternatively, the word may be derived from Middle English pallen (“to diminish, impair, weaken; to become faint; to lose spirit”), formed by aphesis from apallen (“to become or make faint or tired; to become indifferent; to fade or cause to fade away; to dim, weaken; to become stale; to be frightened; to frighten; to become pale”), from Old French apalir (“to become or cause to become pa...

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