Bale in Scrabble and Meaning

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What does bale mean? Is bale a Scrabble word?

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Scrabble® and Words with Friends® points for bale

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Is bale a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word bale is a Scrabble US word. The word bale is worth 6 points in Scrabble:

B3A1L1E1

Is bale a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word bale is a Scrabble UK word and has 6 points:

B3A1L1E1

Is bale a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word bale is a Words With Friends word. The word bale is worth 8 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

B4A1L2E1

Our tools

Valid words made from Bale

Results

4-letter words (6 found)

ABLE,ALBE,BAEL,BALE,BEAL,BLAE,

3-letter words (7 found)

ALB,ALE,BAE,BAL,BEL,LAB,LEA,

2-letter words (8 found)

AB,AE,AL,BA,BE,EA,EL,LA,

1-letter words (1 found)

E,

You can make 22 words from bale according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of bale

bale

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /beɪ̯l/, [ˈbeɪ̯(ə)ɫ], [beə̯ɫ]
  • Rhymes: -eɪl
  • Homophone: bail

Etymology 1

From Middle English bale (evil), from Old English bealu, from Proto-West Germanic *balu, from Proto-Germanic *balwą.

Cognate with Low German bal- (bad, ill), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (balweins, torture), Old High German balo (destruction), Old Norse bǫl (disaster).

Noun

bale (uncountable)

  1. Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
  2. Suffering, woe, torment.
Derived terms
  • baleful

Etymology 2

From Middle English bale (pyre, funeral pyre), from Old English bǣl (pyre, funeral pyre), from Proto-Germanic *bēlą (pyre), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (to shine; gleam; sparkle). Cognate with Old Norse bál (which may have been the direct source for the English word).

Noun

bale (plural bales)

  1. (obsolete) A large fire, a conflagration or bonfire.
  2. (archaic) A funeral pyre.
  3. (archaic) A beacon-fire.
Derived terms
  • balefire

Etymology 3

From Middle English bale (bale), from Old French bale and Medieval Latin bala, of Germanic origin. Doublet of ball.

Noun

bale (plural bales)

  1. A rounded bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation.
  2. A bundle of compressed fibers (especially hay, straw, cotton, or wool), compacted for shipping and handling and bound by twine or wire.
    Hyponyms: haybale, strawbale
  3. A measurement of hay equal to 10 flakes. Approximately 70-90 lbs (32-41 kg).
  4. A measurement of paper equal to 10 reams.
  5. A block of compressed cannabis.
  6. (collective) A group of turtles.
Coordinate terms
  • (measurement of paper): bundle, quire, ream
Derived terms
Translations
Further reading
  • Units of paper quantity on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

bale (third-person singular simple present bales, present participle baling, simple past and past participle baled)

  1. (transitive) To wrap into a bale.
Derived terms
  • bale up
Translations

Etymology 4

Alternative spelling of bail.

Verb

bale (third-person singular simple present bales, present participle baling, simple past and past participle baled)

  1. (British, nautical) To remove water from a boat with buckets etc.
Translations

Further reading

  • Bale in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

  • -able, Abel, Able, Beal, Blea, Ebla, Elba, able, albe, bael, beal, blea

Balinese

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *balay, from Proto-Austronesian *balay.

Noun

bale (Balinese script ᬩᬮᬾ)

  1. (kasar) building
    Synonym: (andap) gedong

Basque

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish vale.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bale/ [ba.le]
  • Rhymes: -ale, -e
  • Hyphenation: ba‧le

Interjection

bale

  1. (Southern, colloquial) okay
    Synonym: ados

Further reading

  • “bale”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
  • “bale”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Buginese

Noun

bale

  1. alternative spelling of balé (fish)

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

bale

  1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of balen

Anagrams

  • Abel

French

Alternative forms

  • balle

Etymology

Of Celtic origin, from Gaulish *balu, which is related to Proto-Celtic *bolgos (bag, sack).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bal/

Noun

bale f (uncountable)

  1. chaff (inedible casing of a grain seed)

Further reading

  • “bale”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French balai.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ba.le/

Noun

bale

  1. broom

Verb

bale

  1. to sweep

Javanese

Romanization

bale

  1. alternative spelling of balé, romanization of ꦧꦭꦺ

Kapampangan

Etymology

From Proto-Philippine *balay, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *balay, from Proto-Austronesian *balay.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bəˈle/ [bəˈlɛː]
  • Hyphenation: ba‧le

Noun

balé

  1. house

Derived terms

Makasar

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbale/, [ˈɓa.lɛ]
  • Hyphenation: ba‧le

Adjective

bale (Lontara spelling ᨅᨒᨙ)

  1. savory; umami (e.g. cheese)
    Balei kasiaʼna jukukkuMy fish tastes savory.
  2. delicious; tasty
  3. (of sound or voice) pleasant, satisfactory; nice
    Balei batena aʼbicaraThe way he tells the story is pleasant.

Synonyms

  • nyamang
  • janna

Affixations

Further reading

  • A. A. Cense (2024) Makassaars-Nederlands woordenboek[2], Brill, →DOI

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English bealu, from Proto-West Germanic *balu, from Proto-Germanic *balwą.

Alternative forms

  • balu

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbaːl(ə)/

Noun

bale (plural bales)

  1. An evil or wrong act; a bad deed.
  2. Maliciousness, iniquity, damage.
  3. Devastation and doom; the causing of lifelessness.
  4. Woe or torment; hurting, agony.
Related terms
  • baleful
  • bale-siðe
  • bali
Descendants
  • English: bale (dated)
  • Yola: ballcoot
References
  • “bāle, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-19.

Adjective

bale

  1. decisive, ruinous, vicious
  2. tormentuous, painful, hurtful
References
  • “bāle, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-19.

Etymology 2

Either from Old English bǣl, Old Norse bál, or a conflation of both; in any case, from Proto-Germanic *bēlą.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /baːl/

Noun

bale

  1. Any large fire; a bonfire or pyre.
  2. A fire for inhumation; a funeral pyre.
  3. A fire for execution or killing.
Related terms
  • bale-fyre
Descendants
  • English: bale (archaic)
  • Scots: bale
References
  • “bāl(e, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-19.

Etymology 3

Probably borrowed from Old French bale, balle, from Medieval Latin balla, from Frankish or Old High German balla (ball), from Proto-Germanic *balluz.

Alternative forms

  • bala, ball

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbaːl(ə)/

Noun

bale (plural bales)

  1. A bale (rounded bundle)
Descendants
  • English: bale
References
  • “bāle, n.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-19.
  • James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Bale”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.
  • “bale”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.

North Moluccan Malay

Etymology

From Classical Malay باليق (balik). The noun sense is derived from how papeda is served by turning it around a pair of tongs; a serving is thus called a turn of papeda.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈba.le/

Verb

bale

  1. (intransitive) to turn around
  2. (intransitive) to reverse

Noun

bale

  1. (of papeda, etc.) a portion, serving
    lima bale, bukang lima bokorfive portions, not five bowls

References

  • Betty Litamahuputty (2012) Ternate Malay: Grammar and Texts

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

bale (present tense balar, past tense bala, past participle bala, passive infinitive balast, present participle balande, imperative bale/bal)

  1. alternative form of bala

Old Javanese

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *balay, from Proto-Austronesian *balay.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ba.le/
  • Rhymes: -le
  • Hyphenation: ba‧le

Noun

bale

  1. open building
  2. pavilion
  3. hall

Derived terms

Descendants

  • > Javanese: ꦧꦭꦺ (balé) (inherited)

References

  • "bale" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Pali

Alternative forms

Noun

bale

  1. locative singular of bala (strength)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • Homophones: Báli (Brazil), vale (Northern Portugal)
  • Hyphenation: ba‧le

Verb

bale

  1. inflection of balar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
  2. inflection of balir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin root *baba. Compare French bave, Italian bava, Spanish and Portuguese baba. The normal result, *ba, is not used as the singular has been replaced with bală through analogy.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈba.le/

Noun

bale f pl (plural only)

  1. slobber, drool, dribble, saliva
    Synonym: salivă

Declension

Derived terms

  • bălos

Saterland Frisian

Alternative forms

  • baale, balle

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps a corruption of Old Frisian *babbelia (to babble), in which case from Proto-West Germanic *babalōn, from Proto-Germanic *babalōną, whence also Saterland Frisian babbelje.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbaːlə/
  • Hyphenation: ba‧le

Verb

bale

  1. (intransitive) to speak

Conjugation

Derived terms

References

  • Marron C. Fort (2015) “bale”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Spanish

Verb

bale

  1. inflection of balar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Tagalog

Alternative forms

  • bali

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish vale, third-person singular present indicative form of valer (to be worth), from Old Spanish valer. Compare Chavacano vale.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈbale/ [ˈbaː.lɛ]
  • Rhymes: -ale
  • Syllabification: ba‧le

Noun

bale (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜒ)

  1. (chiefly in the negative, colloquial) worth; value
  2. promissory note; credit; IOU
  3. request of partial advanced payment

Adverb

bale (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜒ)

  1. used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question: so
  2. used before stating or enumerating the gist or summary of what is being discussed
  3. used as a meaningless filler word to begin a response or when one cannot start to speak

Adjective

bale (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜒ)

  1. (colloquial) valuable; important
  2. bought on credit

Derived terms

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from French ballet.

Noun

bale (definite accusative baleyi, plural baleler)

  1. ballet

Source: wiktionary.org