peal

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /piːl/ See IPA manual

Homophones

peel /piːl/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like pill /ɪ/ vs /iː/

Freq #43244

Meanings

1

verb
ring recurrently

Bells were pealing.
2

noun
A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.

Whether thoſe peales of praiſe be his or no.
3

noun
A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale.

Ingulphus, the chronicler of Croyland Abbey, mentions that a peal of seven bells was put up there in the tenth century, and that there was not such a harmonious peal in the whole of England; which implies that rings of bells were then common.
4

verb
To sound with a peal or peals.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep...

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms outpealthunderpealunpealed

Simplified etymology

Peal arose in Middle English as a shortened form of appeal. Its use for the ringing of bells may have developed from the bells’ call to prayer.

Etymology

From Middle English pele, peil, probably an apheretic variant of Middle English apel, appel, from Old French apel (“an appeal; pealing of bells”). Compare appeal.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# peal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /piːl/
**Frequency rank:** 43244

## Meanings
1. ring recurrently
2. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.
3. A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale.
4. To sound with a peal or peals.

## Examples
- Bells were pealing.
- Whether thoſe peales of praiſe be his or no.
- Ingulphus, the chronicler of Croyland Abbey, mentions that a peal of seven bells was put up there in the tenth century, and that there was not such a harmonious peal in the whole of England; which implies that rings of bells were then common.
- Then pealed the bells more loud and deep...

## Derived Forms
- outpeal
- thunderpeal
- unpealed

## Etymology
From Middle English pele, peil, probably an apheretic variant of Middle English apel, appel, from Old French apel (“an appeal; pealing of bells”). Compare appeal.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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