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mall definition

mall (môl, mäl)

noun

  1. Archaic
    1. a large, heavy mallet, used to strike the ball in the game of pall-mall
    2. Etymology: < pall-mall

      the game itself
    3. a lane or alley where the game was played
  2. a shaded walk or public promenade
    1. a street for pedestrians only, with shops on each side, and often with decorative plantings, benches, etc.
    2. a completely enclosed, air-conditioned shopping center like this
  3. a median strip

Etymology: var. of maul, esp. assoc. in 17th c. with (pall)-mall

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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