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Hail

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Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Balls or irregular lumps of ice that fall from thunderstorm clouds.

Detailed Definition
Hail forms when strong updrafts in thunderstorms carry droplets repeatedly into freezing layers of cloud, building them into hard pellets of ice. It can range from tiny grains to stones large enough to damage roofs, crops, and windows. In poetry, hail can sharpen a storm scene with its sudden violence, suggesting accusation, hard luck, or a sky that seems to strike the earth.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hail rattled against the roof, startling the dog from sleep; “Hail whitened the summer garden before the roses could close,” contrasts seasonal beauty with sudden damage; A poet can use hailstones as hard, bright images for accusation, fear, or grief; The speaker gathering hail in a warm palm may emphasize how quickly something fierce can melt away
Additional Notes
Hail forms as ice is repeatedly lifted within a thunderstorm cloud; its hard impacts add violence and surprise.
Other Meanings of “Hail”
Also Known As
Ice Pellets Hailstones Frozen Rain Storm Ice
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