Bailed

/ˈbeɪld/ verb

Definition

Paid money to release someone from jail before their trial; jumped out of an airplane; removed water from a boat.

Etymology

From Old French 'bailier' meaning to hand over or deliver, from Latin 'bajulare' meaning to carry. Different meanings developed for different contexts.

Kelly Says

The word 'bail' has completely different origins in different contexts—the legal sense comes from custody (handing someone over), while 'bail out' from a plane comes from bucket-bailing water from boats, showing how the same word evolved meanings.

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