I. bale 1 /beɪl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ]
a large quantity of something such as paper or ↑ hay that is tightly tied together especially into a block:
a bale of straw
II. bale 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to tie something such as paper or ↑ hay into a large block
bale out phrasal verb
⇨ ↑ bail 2 , ↑ bail-out