wales

Noun

wale (plural wales)

1. A ridge or low barrier.
2. A raised rib in knitted goods or fabric, especially corduroy.
   • Most twills are continuous—the wale goes from one corner to the one diagonally opposite. Pattern, however, can be achieved by periodically changing the direction of the wales.1979, Kax Wilson, A History of Textiles, Westview Press, →ISBN, pages 66-67
3. The texture of a piece of fabric.
   • Crepon cloths, with their heavy crape-like wale, are a noteworthy part of the season's importations.1892, “Family Fashions and Fancies”, in Good Housekeeping, volume 14, page 85
4. A horizontal ridge or ledge on the outside planking of a wooden ship, such as a gunwale or a chainwale.
   • The strakes between the several ranges of ports, beginning from under the upper-deck ports of a three-decked ship in the royal navy, are called the channel wale, the middle wale, and the main wale.1863, Andrew Murray, Ship-building in Iron and Wood, page 93
5. A horizontal timber used for supporting or retaining earth.
   • A few feet below the first wale another timber is inserted, likewise secured by struts.1889 February 23, Architecture and Building: A Journal of Investment and Construction, volume 10, page 63
6. A timber bolted to a row of piles to secure them together and in position.
   • Except Plank upon the Head of the Key, and under the upper Wale, and Plank to join the piles.1754, Thomas Gardner, An Historical Account of Dunwich […]

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