I. ˈpēl, esp before pause or consonant -ēəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English pele appeal, summons to church by bell-ringing, short for appel, apel, apele appeal — more at appeal
1.
a. : the loud ringing of bells
the peal of victory won — Bulletin of Bates College
b.
(1) : a complete set of changes on a given number of bells ; especially : the series on seven bells usually with the tenor struck at the end of each change
each tower peal took three hours — Christian Science Monitor
— compare touch 12
(2) : a shorter performance than a full peal
c. : a set of bells tuned to the tones of the major scale for change ringing
the original bells … will be melted down and recast into another peal — Sylvia Gray
2. : a loud sound or succession of sounds
send him into peals of laughter — H.A.Overstreet
heavy peals of thunder — W.J.Humphreys
the loud peal of the doorbell — Agnes S. Turnbull
•
- in peal
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
: to utter or give out peals : resound
silvery laughter pealed against the ceiling — Frank Yerby
the bells in the parish churches … began pealing — Saturday Review
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to assail or din (as the ear) with sound
nor was his ear less pealed with noises loud and ruinous — John Milton
2. : to utter or give forth loudly : sound forth in a peal : noise abroad
pealed his ideas through all the neighborhood
pealed a high C on the trumpet
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English pelen, short for apelen, appelen to appeal — more at appeal
dialect England : appeal
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
Britain : grilse