peal

plural peals

1. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc.

   a fair peal of artillery

   a. 1628 (date written), John Hayward, The Life, and Raigne of King Edward the Sixt, London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press, and J. Lichfield at Oxford?] for Iohn Partridge, […], published 1630, →OCLC

   5 more examples

   Whether thoſe peales of praiſe be his or no.

   c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 174, column 2

   and the deep thunder, peal on peal, afar

   1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […], →OCLC, stanza XXV

   Mrs. Green burst out into one of those peals so peculiarly British.

   1828, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter XVI, in Pelham; or, The Adventures of a Gentleman. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 112

   And, falling on a bench, he laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks, I could not help joining; and we laughed together, peal after peal[…]

   1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC

   And she has half a mind to weep again now, for Jack Brotherhood, as the front doorbell sounds through the house like a bugle call, three short peals as ever.

   1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy

2. collectiveA set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale.

   Ingulphus, the chronicler of Croyland Abbey, mentions that a peal of seven bells was put up there in the tenth century, and that there was not such a harmonious peal in the whole of England; which implies that rings of bells were then common.

   1908, H. B. Walters, chapter 1, in Church Bells

3. The changes rung on a set of bells; in the strict sense a full peal of at least 5040 changes.

present singular third person peals · participle present pealing · participle past pealed · past pealed

1. intransitiveTo sound with a peal or peals.

   Then pealed the bells more loud and deep...

   1864, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christmas Bells

   2 more examples

   To the church we'll swiftly steal, then our wedding bells will peal, / You can go as far you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile

   1939 [1905], “In My Merry Oldsmobile”, Vincent P. Bryan (lyrics), Gus Edwards (music), performed by Bing Crosby

   The bell pealed 20 times, clanging into the dusk as Mr. Bush’s motorcade drove off.

   2006 September 11, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Bush Mourns 9/11 at Ground Zero as N.Y. Remembers”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

2. transitiveTo utter or sound loudly.

   The warrior's name, / Though pealed and chimed on all the tongues of fame.

   1807, Joel Barlow, The Columbiad

3. transitiveTo assail with noise.

   Nor was his ear less pealed.

   1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

4. intransitiveTo resound; to echo.

   And the whole air pealed / With the cheers of our men.

   1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Cumberland

5. obsoleteTo appeal.

   To A baron of chekker þay mun hit pele'.

   c. 1450, The Boke of Curtasye

plural peals · alternative peel

1. A small salmon; a grilse; a sewin.

plural Peals

1. A surname.