wale

noun

1. A ridge or low barrier.
2. A raised rib in knitted goods or fabric, especially corduroy.

   “Most twills are continuous—the wale goes from one corner to the one diagonally opposite. Pattern, however, can be achieved by periodically changing the direction of the wales.”

   “I have woven a small sample of striped corduroy shown here. […] The stripe draws the eye from side to side while the wales draw the eye up and down.”

   “The fabric may be further described according to the number of wales per inch: Corduroy known as fine wale, pin-wale, or needle wale has very thin wales (usually twelve or more per inch, i.e., the width of a pin), while wide wale corduroy has thicker wales (usually six or fewer per inch).”

3. The texture of a piece of fabric.

   “Crepon cloths, with their heavy crape-like wale, are a noteworthy part of the season's importations.”

4. A horizontal ridge or ledge on the outside planking of a wooden ship, such as a gunwale or a chainwale.

   “The strakes between the several ranges of ports, beginning from under the upper-deck ports of a three-decked ship in the royal navy, are called the channel wale, the middle wale, and the main wale.”

5. A horizontal timber used for supporting or retaining earth.

   “A few feet below the first wale another timber is inserted, likewise secured by struts.”

6. A timber bolted to a row of piles to secure them together and in position.

   “Except Plank upon the Head of the Key, and under the upper Wale, and Plank to join the piles.”

7. A ridge on the outside of a horse collar.

   “The wale is shaped to the size of the horse's neck, and then sewn together, with a flap, known as the 'barge', left free along one side. To this 'barge' the body of the collar is sewn.”

8. A ridge or streak produced on skin by a cane or whip.

   “Shall then that foule infamous Cyneds hide Laugh at the purple wales of others side?”

   “When the rat had looked at the toad's whole body, and not seen any wale of a stick, he said to the toad, "Brother toad, I have looked at thy whole body, and not seen any wale of a stick: thou art right."”

   “I ran to her, and when I reached her I saw across the white skin of her shoulders the distinct wale of a whip.”

9. (Northern-England, Scotland)Something selected as being the best, preference; choice; choosing.

verb

1. To strike the skin in such a way as to produce a wale or welt.

   “Would suffer his lazy rider to bestride his patie: back, with his hands and whip to wale his flesh, and with his heels to dig into his hungry bowels?”

2. To beat a person, especially as punishment or out of anger.

   “When faced with an adulthood that offered few options, grinding poverty and marriage to a man who drank too much and came home to wale on his own family or...no beatings.”

3. To give a surface a texture of wales or welts.
4. (Northern-England, Scotland)To choose, select.

name

1. A surname.