A large bundle of something like hay, cotton, or straw that is tied tightly together for storage or transport.
From Old French 'bale,' possibly from Germanic roots meaning 'round' or 'bundle.' The word has been used since medieval times to describe tightly wrapped packages of goods.
Medieval merchants used bales to standardize trade—a bale of wool or hay became a unit of measurement that everyone could agree on, making business deals much easier without arguments!
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