Adjacent Words

Hail definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HAIL, n. Masses of ice or frozen vapor, falling from the clouds in showers or storms. These masses consist of little spherules united, but not all of the same consistence; some being as hard and solid as perfect ice; others soft, like frozen snow. Hailstones assume various figures; some are round, others angular, others pyramidical, others flat, and sometimes they are stellated with six radii, like crystals of snow.
HAIL, v.i. To pour down masses of ice or frozen vapors.
HAIL, v.t. To pour.
HAIL, a. [Gr. whole.] Sound; whole; healthy; not impaired by disease; as a hail body; hail corn. [In this sense, it is usually written hale.]
HAIL, an exclamation, or rather a verb in the imperative mode, being the adjective hail, used as a verb. Hail, be well; be in health; health to you; a term of salutation, equivalent to L. salve, salvete.
Hail, hail, brave friend.
HAIL, n. A wish of health; a salutation. This word is sometimes used as a noun; as, the angel hail bestowed.
HAIL, v.t. [L. calo. See Call and Heal.] To call; to call to a person at a distance, to arrest his attention. It is properly used in any case where the person accosted is distant, but is appropriately used by seamen. Hoa or hoi, the ship ahoay, is the usual manner of hailing; to which the answer is holloa, or hollo. Then follow the usual questions, whence came ye? where are you bound? etc.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents
2: many objects thrown forcefully through the air; "a hail of pebbles"; "a hail of bullets"
3: enthusiastic greeting v
1: praise vociferously; "The critics hailed the young pianist as a new Rubinstein" [syn: acclaim, hail, herald]
2: be a native of; "She hails from Kalamazoo" [syn: hail, come]
3: call for; "hail a cab"
4: greet enthusiastically or joyfully [syn: hail, herald]
5: precipitate as small ice particles; "It hailed for an hour"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hægl; akin to Old High German hagal hail Date: before 12th century 1. precipitation in the form of small balls or lumps usually consisting of concentric layers of clear ice and compact snow 2. something that gives the effect of a shower of hail <a hail of rifle fire> II. intransitive verb Date: before 12th century 1. to precipitate hail <it was hailing hard> 2. to pour down or strike like hail III. interjection Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse heill, from heill healthy — more at whole Date: 13th century 1. archaic — used as a salutation 2. — used to express acclamation <hail to the chief — Sir Walter Scott> IV. verb Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. a. salute, greet b. to greet with enthusiastic approval ; acclaim 2. to greet or summon by calling <hail a taxi> intransitive verb to call out; especially to call a greeting to a passing ship • hailer noun V. noun Date: 1500 1. an exclamation of greeting or acclamation 2. a calling to attract attention 3. hearing distance <stayed within hail>

Britannica Concise

Precipitation of balls or pieces of ice with a diameter of 0.2-4 in. (5 mm-10 cm). Small hail (also called sleet, or ice pellets) has a diameter of less than 0.2 in. Hail can be extremely destructive to buildings and crops; if it is large enough, it may be dangerous to animals. Hailstones 6 in. (15 cm) in diameter have fallen during storms in the U.S. Midwest. Hailstorms are most common in the middle latitudes and usually last around 15 minutes. They ordinarily occur in middle to late afternoon and may accompany thunderstorms.

NOAA Weather Glossary

Precipitation in the form of balls or irregular lumps of ice produced byliquid precipitation, freezing and being coated by layers of ice as it is lifted andcooled in strong updrafts of thunderstorms..

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 pellets of frozen rain falling in showers from cumulonimbus clouds. 2 (foll. by of) a barrage or onslaught (of missiles, curses, questions, etc.). --v. 1 intr. (prec. by it as subject) hail falls (it is hailing; if it hails). 2 a tr. pour down (blows, words, etc.). b intr. come down forcefully. Etymology: OE hagol, hægl, hagalian f. Gmc 2. v., int., & n. --v. 1 tr. greet enthusiastically. 2 tr. signal to or attract the attention of (hailed a taxi). 3 tr. acclaim (hailed him king). 4 intr. (foll. by from) have one's home or origins in (a place) (hails from Mauritius). --int. expressing greeting. --n. 1 a greeting or act of hailing. 2 distance as affecting the possibility of hailing (was within hail). Phrases and idioms: hail-fellow-well-met intimate, esp. too intimate. Hail Mary the Ave Maria (see AVE). Derivatives: hailer n. Etymology: ellipt. use of obs. hail (adj.) f. ON heill sound, WHOLE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail, interj. [See Hail, v. t.] An exclamation of respectful or reverent salutation, or, occasionally, of familiar greeting. ``Hail, brave friend.'' --Shak. All hail. See in the Vocabulary. Hail Mary, a form of prayer made use of in the Roman Catholic Church in invocation of the Virgin. See Ave Maria.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail, n. A wish of health; a salutation; a loud call. ``Their puissant hail.'' --M. Arnold. The angel hail bestowed. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail (h[=a]l), n. [OE. hail, ha[yogh]el, AS. h[ae]gel; akin to D., G., Dan., & Sw. hagel; Icel. hagl; cf. Gr. ka`chlhx pebble.] Small roundish masses of ice precipitated from the clouds, where they are formed by the congelation of vapor. The separate masses or grains are called hailstones. Thunder mixed with hail, Hail mixed with fire, must rend the Egyptian sky. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Halled; p. pr. & vb. n. Halting.] [OE. hailen, AS. haqalian.] To pour down particles of ice, or frozen vapors.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail, v. t. To pour forcibly down, as hail. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail, a. Healthy. See Hale (the preferable spelling).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail, v. t. [OE. hailen, heilen, Icel. heil hale, sound, used in greeting. See Hale sound.] 1. To call loudly to, or after; to accost; to salute; to address. 2. To name; to designate; to call. And such a son as all men hailed me happy. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hail Hail, v. i. 1. To declare, by hailing, the port from which a vessel sails or where she is registered; hence, to sail; to come; -- used with from; as, the steamer hails from New York. 2. To report as one's home or the place from whence one comes; to come; -- with from. [Colloq.] --G. G. Halpine.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hale Hale (h[=a]l), a. [Written also hail.] [OE. heil, Icel. heill; akin to E. whole. See Whole.] Sound; entire; healthy; robust; not impaired; as, a hale body. Last year we thought him strong and hale. --Swift.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hails, hailing, hailed) 1. If a person, event, or achievement is hailed as important or successful, they are praised publicly. Faulkner has been hailed as the greatest American novelist of his generation... US magazines hailed her as the greatest rock'n'roll singer in the world... VERB: usu passive, be V-ed as n, V n as n 2. Hail consists of small balls of ice that fall like rain from the sky. ...a sharp short-lived storm with heavy hail. N-UNCOUNT 3. When it hails, hail falls like rain from the sky. It started to hail, huge great stones. VERB: it V 4. A hail of things, usually small objects, is a large number of them that hit you at the same time and with great force. The victim was hit by a hail of bullets... N-SING: N of n 5. Someone who hails from a particular place was born there or lives there. (FORMAL) I hail from Brighton... VERB: V from n 6. If you hail a taxi, you wave at it in order to stop it because you want the driver to take you somewhere. I hurried away to hail a taxi. VERB: V n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

frozen rain-drops; one of the plagues of Egypt (Ex. 9:23). It is mentioned by Haggai as a divine judgment (Hag. 2:17). A hail-storm destroyed the army of the Amorites when they fought against Joshua (Josh. 10:11). Ezekiel represents the wall daubed with untempered mortar as destroyed by great hail-stones (Ezek. 13:11). (See also 38:22; Rev. 8:7; 11:19; 16:21.)

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Salute, greet, welcome, call in honor. 2. Call, call to, accost, signal, speak.

Moby Thesaurus

a mass of, a world of, abide by, accede, accept, acclaim, accost, acknowledge, acquiesce, acquiesce in, address, agree, agree to, agree with, apostrophize, appeal to, applaud, approach, approve, army, assent, bark, barrage, bawl, beat the drum, bellow, bespeak, bevy, bid good day, bid good morning, bob, bombard, bombardment, bow, bow to, broadside, bunch, buttonhole, buy, call, call to, cannonade, caterwaul, cheer, cheer on, clap, clap the hands, cloud, clutter, compliment, comply, congratulate, consent, covey, cry, curtsy, dip, drumfire, embrace, encore, exchange colors, exchange greetings, felicitate, flag, flag down, flash, flight, flock, flocks, frost, fusillade, give a hand, give a signal, give the nod, glance, glorify, graupel, greet, greeting, hail and speak, hailstone, half-mast, halloo, hallow, hand-clasp, handshake, hear it for, hello, hive, hoist a banner, hold with, holler, hollo, honor, hoot, host, how-do-you-do, howl, hug, ice, ice over, ice up, in toto, invoke, jam, kick, kiss, kiss hands, large amount, laud, leer, legion, lift the hat, lots, make a sign, many, masses of, mob, muchness, multitude, nest, nod, nod assent, nod to, nudge, numbers, pack, pelt, plurality, poke, praise, pull the forelock, quantities, quite a few, raise a cry, receive, recommend, roar, root for, rout, ruck, salutation, salute, salvo, say hello, scores, scream, screech, shake, shake hands, shoal, shout, shower, shriek, sign, signal, signalize, sleet, smile, smile of recognition, snow, snow in, snow under, soft hail, sound an alarm, sound the trumpet, speak, speak fair, speak to, squall, squawk, squeal, storm, subscribe to, swarm, take aside, take kindly to, talk to, throng, tidy sum, torrent, touch, touch the hat, uncover, unfurl a flag, volley, vote for, wave, wave a flag, wave the hand, welcome, whoop, wink, worlds of, yammer, yap, yawl, yawp, yell, yelp, yes, yield assent, yowl