Gale

n. [Originally a cool wind; Ir. gal, gale, blast of wind; Icel. giola, gola, cool wind, gola, to blow; allied to Lat. gelu, cold; Skr. djalu, cold; Prov. Eng. gale, to ache with cold; A-S. gālan, to congeal, as with fear.] 1. A strong current of air; a wind between a stiff breeze and a storm or tempest. Gales usually have a velocity of from fifty to sixty miles an hour. Among seamen they are variously qualified: as, a stiff gale, or one of moderate violence; a hard gale, one of extreme violence; a top-gallant gale, one in which a ship may carry her top-gallant sails. 2. A moderate current of air; a breeze. A little gale will soon disperse that cloud. Shak. And winds of gentlest gale Arabian odors fanned From their soft wings. Milton. 3. A state of excitement, of hilarity, or passion. The ladies, laughing heartily, were fast getting into what, in New England, is sometimes called a gale. Brooke.