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hale

Archaic Terms
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

Strong and healthy; also, to drag forcibly—dual meaning allows for both physical vigor and violent action in poetic contexts.

Detailed Definition
As adjective, “hale” denotes robust health; as verb, it implies violent pulling. In poetry, both appear: hale elders; sinners haled to judgment. The duality allows contrast—vitality versus coercion. Poets use it to explore bodily strength or divine compulsion, grounding abstract fate in physical force in epic, elegiac, or moralizing verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
“He was hale and hearty, though seventy winters had passed,” in a rustic portrait; In Longfellow’s verse: “Hale were the men who sailed those seas”; “Hale as an oak, yet gentle as a breeze,” describes a noble elder; “Though hale in body, his spirit was weary,” a contrast in elegiac tone; “Be hale, dear friend, and fare thee well,” a parting blessing in lyric poetry; The knight returned hale from battle, though his shield was split.
Additional Notes
“Hale” as “strong” (from Old English “hāl,” meaning healthy) appears in phrases like “hale and hearty”; as a verb (“to hale”), it implies violent dragging—useful in battle or judicial scenes where force overrides consent.
Also Known As
drag pull haul
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