Pealed

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /piːld/

Definitions

1. To emit a loud, resonant ringing or series of rings like bells ringing out clearly
2. To produce a strong, clear sound or series of sounds, often used to describe bells that are ringing
3. To give forth a sonorous and vibrant noise, typically associated with the ringing of bells over a distance

Etymology: "Pealed" is the past tense of "peal," so it describes a bell or set of bells that has rung loudly. The noun "peal" most likely arrived in Middle English as "pele" or "peil," probably a shortened form of "apel" or "appel," which came from Old French "apel," meaning "an appeal" and also "the pealing of bells." That shared origin is why "peal" and "appeal" are relatives: a bell's ringing was once understood as a summons or call that drew people in. The lost opening "a-" is the surprising part. Speakers seem to have dropped it, so a noun that began as "appel" was reheard as "pele," leaving the familiar English word we use today. The exact details of this shortening are uncertain, so the link to "appeal" rests on the shared French source rather than on a clearly traceable chain of change.

Synonyms: rang, toll