pale
adj. · v. · n.-
1 light in color (adj.) A2 Elementaryhaving a color that is very light or close to white.
of a light or low-intensity color; lacking depth or saturation of hue.
ExampleThe walls were painted a pale yellow that made the room feel bright.
ExampleThe artist used a pale wash of watercolor to suggest the hazy atmosphere of the morning sky.
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2 complexion (adj.) A2 Elementaryhaving a face that is lighter than usual, often because you are sick, tired, or scared.
having a skin tone that is lighter than normal, typically due to physiological factors such as illness, shock, or lack of sunlight.
ExampleYou look very pale; are you feeling okay?
ExampleHe grew pale when the doctor delivered the news, his face losing all its natural color in an instant.
- pallid
- wan
- pasty
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3 to become less important (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto seem less important or impressive when compared to something else.
to decrease in relative importance, intensity, or brilliance, especially when contrasted with something superior.
ExampleMy problems pale in comparison to what they are going through.
ExampleThe local festival's fireworks display pales in comparison to the spectacular show held in the capital every New Year.
UsageUsually used in the phrase 'pale in comparison to'.
- outshine
- surpass
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4 a wooden stake (n.) C2 Proficiency Technicala pointed wooden post used to make a fence.
a wooden stake or picket used as a component of a fence or palisade.
ExampleThe garden was surrounded by a fence made of wooden pales.
ExampleThe archaeological team uncovered the remains of a defensive wall constructed from sharpened oak pales driven deep into the earth.
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5 limits or boundaries (n.) C1 Advanced Formala limit or boundary of what is acceptable.
a metaphorical boundary or limit, especially regarding social or moral acceptability.
ExampleHis rude behavior at the wedding was simply beyond the pale.
ExampleThe senator's comments were considered beyond the pale by members of both political parties, leading to a formal censure.
UsageCommonly found in the idiom 'beyond the pale'.
Teacher's tipThe phrase 'beyond the pale' is the most common modern use of this noun sense; it describes behavior that is totally unacceptable.
Etymology tree Latin palleō Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Latin -idus Latin pallidus Old French palebor. Middle English pale English pale From Middle English pale, from Old French pale, from Latin pallidus (“pale, pallid”), from palleō (“to be pale; to grow pale; to fade”), from Proto-Indo-European pelito-, from pelH- (“gray”). Doublet of pallid. Displaced native Old English blāc.
From Middle English pale, pal, borrowed from Old French pal, from Latin pālus (“stake, prop”). English inherited the word pole (or, rather Old English pāl) from a much older Proto-Germanic borrowing of the same Latin word. Doublet of peel and pole.