I. hail 1 /heɪl/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: hagal , hægl ]
1 . [uncountable] frozen raindrops which fall as hard balls of ice:
heavy showers of rain and hail
2 . a hail of bullets/stones etc a large number of bullets, stones etc that are thrown or fired at someone:
The aircraft were met by a hail of gunfire.
3 . a hail of criticism/abuse etc a lot of criticism etc:
The proposals met with a hail of criticism.
II. hail 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Sense 2: Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: ↑ hail 3 ]
[ Sense 3: Language: Old English ; Origin: hagalian , from hagal ; ⇨ ↑ hail 1 ]
1 . [transitive] to describe someone or something as being very good
hail somebody/something as something
Lang’s first film was immediately hailed as a masterpiece.
be hailed something
The new service has been hailed a success.
A young man is being hailed a hero tonight after rescuing two children.
2 . [transitive] to call to someone in order to greet them or try to attract their attention:
She leaned out of the window and hailed a passerby.
hail a cab/taxi
The hotel doorman will hail a cab for you.
3 . it hails if it hails, small balls of ice fall like rain:
It’s windy and hailing outside.
hail from something phrasal verb old-fashioned
to have been born in a particular place:
And where do you hail from?