Wale

Part of speech: noun (n.)

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. A timber bolted to a row of piles to secure them together and in position. Knight.

4. 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.

5. A wale knot, or wall knot. Wale knot. (Naut.) See Wall knot, under 1st Wall.

Part of speech: verb (v.)

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.]