A gale is a very strong wind, stronger than a normal breeze but less than a hurricane. It can make walking, driving, or sailing difficult and dangerous.
The origin of “gale” is uncertain, but it may come from Old Norse or Low German words related to singing or yelling, capturing the noisy nature of strong winds. It has been used in English since at least the 16th century.
Sailors once depended on words like “gale” to judge whether it was safe to leave harbor; the wrong guess could sink a ship. On the Beaufort scale, a gale is strong enough to break twigs off trees and push you off balance.
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