Meaning
Balls or pieces of ice falling as precipitation, often in connection with a thunderstorm.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
From Middle English hayl, haul, from Old English hæġl, hæġel, hagol (“hail”), from Proto-West Germanic *hagl, from Proto-Germanic *haglaz, of uncertain origin. Either from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰlos (“pebble”); or alternatively from *ḱoḱló-, a reduplication of *ḱel- (“cold”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hail (“hail”), West Frisian heil (“hail”), Low German Hagel (“hail”), German Hagel (“hail”), Dutch and Swedish hagel (“hail”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Icelandic hagl (“hail”). Compare also Old Norse héla (“frost”). Doublet of haglaz, if the second etymology (“cold”) is correct. Root-cognates outside of Germanic include Ancient Greek κάχληξ (kákhlēx, “pebble”), or alternatively Sanskrit शिशिर (śíśira, “cool, cold”), possibly also Lithuanian šešėlis (“shade, shadow”), depending on the etymology.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 24 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-10-03IABCHLN
- 2026-09-20HACEILT
- 2026-03-22ADLHGNI
- 2026-01-27IAGHLNU
- 2025-11-29IATNHEL
- 2025-06-15LNAICBH
- 2025-02-13HTALEBI
- 2025-02-08LANHCIR
- 2025-01-05HTLGINA
- 2025-01-04IPHDELA
- 2024-11-19HAEILVY
- 2024-08-26ADOIHLY
+12 earlier appearances in the archive.