Etymology 1
From Middle English pele, peil, probably an apheretic variant of Middle English apel, appel, from Old French apel (“an appeal; pealing of bells”). Compare appeal.
Noun
peal (plural peals)
- A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 174, column 2:Whether thoſe peales of praiſe be his or no.
a. 1628 (date written), John Hayward, The Life, and Raigne of King Edward the Sixt, London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press, and J. Lichfield at Oxford?] for Iohn Partridge, […], published 1630, →OCLC:a fair peal of artillery
1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:And she has half a mind to weep again now, for Jack Brotherhood, as the front doorbell sounds through the house like a bugle call, three short peals as ever.
- (collective) A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale.
1908, H. B. Walters, chapter 1, in Church Bells:Ingulphus, the chronicler of Croyland Abbey, mentions that a peal of seven bells was put up there in the tenth century, and that there was not such a harmonious peal in the whole of England; which implies that rings of bells were then common.
- The changes rung on a set of bells; in the strict sense a full peal of at least 5040 changes.
Translations
the sound of ringing bells
Verb
peal (third-person singular simple present peals, present participle pealing, simple past and past participle pealed)
- (intransitive) To sound with a peal or peals.
1939 [1905], “In My Merry Oldsmobile”, Vincent P. Bryan (lyrics), Gus Edwards (music), performed by Bing Crosby:To the church we'll swiftly steal, then our wedding bells will peal, / You can go as far you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile
2006 September 11, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Bush Mourns 9/11 at Ground Zero as N.Y. Remembers”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:The bell pealed 20 times, clanging into the dusk as Mr. Bush’s motorcade drove off.
- (transitive) To utter or sound loudly.
1807, Joel Barlow, The Columbiad:The warrior's name, / Though pealed and chimed on all the tongues of fame.
- (transitive) To assail with noise.
1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:Nor was his ear less pealed.
- (intransitive) To resound; to echo.
- (obsolete) To appeal.
c. 1450, The Boke of Curtasye:To A baron of chekker þay mun hit pele'.