wale

n. [ AS. walu a mark of stripes or blows, probably originally, a rod; akin to Icel. völr, Goth. walus a rod, staff. √146. Cf. Goal, Weal a wale. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A streak or mark made on the skin by a rod or whip; a stripe; a wheal. See Wheal. Holland.
Syn. -- welt; weal; wheal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A ridge or streak rising above the surface, as of cloth; hence, the texture of cloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou 'rt rougher far,
And of a coarser wale, fuller of pride. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Carp.) A timber bolted to a row of piles to secure them together and in position. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Naut.) (a) pl. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wale knot. (Naut.) See Wall knot, under 1st Wall. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To mark with wales, or stripes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To choose; to select; specifically (Mining), to pick out the refuse of (coal) by hand, in order to clean it. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]