hail

Hail is defined as to cheer or greet with respect.

(verb)

An example of hail is to applaud as the king enters the room.

The definition of hail is a type of precipitation made up of small balls of ice.

How Hail Is Formed

During the day, the ground is heated by the sun. Eventually the warmer air moves up into the air and cools down. Hot air rises because it is less dense than cool air.
While it is rising and cooling down, it is not able to hold as much moisture as when it starts out. Eventually, the water vapor condenses, forming the clouds when hail originates.
As the water is condensing, it releases heat in the surrounding areas. The air starts to rise faster and produce more moisture, due to this condensation process.
The winds in these particular clouds can reach speeds of 110 miles per hour. Hail grows in the main updraft of the cloud, from a supercharged area of energy.
Hail grows in these areas because this is where the cloud has retained some moisture. This is called "supercooled" liquid because even though it is at or below the freezing point, it has still remained in liquid form.
This supercooled water need something on which to freeze, and it will attach to ice, dust, salt from the ocean, or frozen raindrops. When these elements combine, hail is formed.

(noun)

An example of hail is what may fall from the sky during a thunderstorm.

See hail in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

Origin: ME hailen, to salute, greet < hail, heil < ON heill, whole, sound, akin to OE hal (see hale, whole): used as a salutation

noun

interjection

used to signify tribute, greeting, etc.

Related Forms:

noun

rounded pieces of ice that are larger than 5 mm (.2 in) and sometimes fall during thunderstorms; frozen raindrops; hailstones
a falling, showering, etc. of hail, or in the manner of hail: a hail of bullets

Origin: ME haile < OE hægel, var. of hagol, akin to Ger hagel < IE base *kaghlo-, small pebble > Gr kachlēx

intransitive verb

to drop or pour down hail: usually in an impersonal construction: it is hailing

Origin: ME hailen < OE hagalian

transitive verb

to shower, hurl, pour, etc. violently in the manner of hail: often with on or upon: to hail curses on someone

See hail in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Precipitation in the form of spherical or irregular pellets of ice larger than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter.
Something that falls with the force and quantity of a shower of ice and hard snow: a hail of pebbles; a hail of criticism.

verb hailed, hail·ing, hails

verb, intransitive

verb, transitive

To pour (something) down or forth: They hailed insults at me.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old English hǽgel, hagol

verb hailed, hail·ing, hails

verb, transitive

a. To salute or greet.
b. To greet or acclaim enthusiastically: The crowds hailed the boxing champion.
To call out or yell in order to catch the attention of: hail a cabdriver.

verb, intransitive

To signal or call to a passing ship as a greeting or identification.

noun