1. A streak or mark made on the skin by a rod or whip; a stripe; a wheal. See Wheal. Holland.
2. A ridge or streak rising above the surface, as of cloth; hence,
the texture of cloth.
Thou 'rt rougher far, And of a coarser wale, fuller of pride. Beau &
Fl.
3. (Carp.)
Defn: A timber bolted to a row of piles to secure them together and in position. Knight.
4. (Naut.) (a) pl.
Defn: Certain sets or strakes of the outside planking of a vessel; as, the main wales, or the strakes of planking under the port sills of the gun deck; channel wales, or those along the spar deck, etc. (b) A wale knot, or wall knot. Wale knot. (Naut.) See Wall knot, under 1st Wall.
WALE
Wale, v. t.
1. To mark with wales, or stripes.
2. To choose; to select; specifically (Mining), to pick out the refuse of (coal) by hand, in order to clean it. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
WALER
Wal"er, n. [From Wales, i.e., New South Wales.]