beal

See also: Beal and béal

English

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /biːl/
• Rhymes: -iːl

Etymology 1

From Middle English beel, bele, from Old English bȳle (“boil, carbuncle, bile”), from Proto-West Germanic *būlijā, from Proto-Germanic *būlijǭ (“swelling”), from *būlǭ (“swelling, bump, boil”). More at boil.

Noun

beal (plural beals)

1. (dialectal or obsolete) A small inflammatory tumor; pustule.

Etymology 2

From Middle English belen, from bele (see above).

Verb

beal (third-person singular simple present beals, present participle bealing, simple past and past participle bealed)

1. (dialectal, chiefly Scotland, Western Pennsylvania) To gather matter; swell; come to a head, as a pimple; fester; suppurate.

Etymology 3

From Middle English belien, from Old Norse belja (“to bellow, roar”).

Verb

beal (third-person singular simple present beals, present participle bealing, simple past and past participle bealed)

1. (UK dialectal) To bellow, roar, or shout.

Anagrams

• -able, Abel, Able, Bale, Blea, Ebla, Elba, able, albe, bael, bale, blea

Northern Sami

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Preposition

beal

1. (with a number) half before (the hour)

Old French

Adjective

beal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular beale)

1. Alternative form of biau