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[pahyl] /paɪl/

noun
1.
a cylindrical or flat member of wood, steel, concrete, etc., often tapered or pointed at the lower end, hammered vertically into soil to form part of a foundation or retaining wall.
2.
Heraldry. an ordinary in the form of a wedge or triangle coming from one edge of the escutcheon, from the chief unless otherwise specified.
3.
Archery. the sharp head or striking end of an arrow, usually of metal and of the form of a wedge or conical nub.
verb (used with object), piled, piling.
4.
to furnish, strengthen, or support with piles.
5.
to drive piles into.
Idioms
6.
in pile, Heraldry. (of a number of charges) arranged in the manner of a pile.
/paɪl/
noun
1.
a collection of objects laid on top of one another or of other material stacked vertically; heap; mound
2.
(informal) a large amount of money (esp in the phrase make a pile)
3.
(often pl) (informal) a large amount: a pile of work
4.
a less common word for pyre
5.
a large building or group of buildings
6.
short for voltaic pile
7.
(physics) a structure of uranium and a moderator used for producing atomic energy; nuclear reactor
8.
(metallurgy) an arrangement of wrought-iron bars that are to be heated and worked into a single bar
9.
the point of an arrow
verb
10.
(often foll by up) to collect or be collected into or as if into a pile: snow piled up in the drive
11.
(intransitive; foll by in, into, off, out, etc) to move in a group, esp in a hurried or disorganized manner: to pile off the bus
12.
pile arms, to prop a number of rifles together, muzzles together and upwards, butts forming the base
13.
(informal) pile it on, to exaggerate
/paɪl/
noun
1.
a long column of timber, concrete, or steel that is driven into the ground to provide a foundation for a vertical load (a bearing pile) or a group of such columns to resist a horizontal load from earth or water pressure (a sheet pile)
2.
(heraldry) an ordinary shaped like a wedge, usually displayed point-downwards
verb (transitive)
3.
to drive (piles) into the ground
4.
to provide or support (a structure) with piles
/paɪl/
noun
1.
(textiles)

2.
soft fine hair, fur, wool, etc
n.

“mass, heap,” early 15c., originally “pillar, pier of a bridge,” from Middle French pile and directly from Latin pila “stone barrier, pillar, pier” (see pillar). Sense development in Latin from “pier, harbor wall of stones,” to “something heaped up.” In English, sense of “heap of things” is attested from mid-15c. (the verb in this sense is recorded from mid-14c.). The meaning “large building” (late 14c.) is probably the same word.

“heavy pointed beam,” from Old English pil “stake,” also “arrow,” from Latin pilum heavy javelin of the Roman foot soldier, literally “pestle” (source of Old Norse pila, Old High German pfil, German Pfeil “arrow”), of uncertain origin.

“soft, raised surface upon cloth,” mid-14c., “downy plumage,” from Anglo-French pyle or Middle Dutch pijl, both from Latin pilus “a hair” (source of Italian pelo, Old French pel). Phonological evidence rules out transmission of the English word via Old French cognate peil, poil. Meaning “nap upon cloth” is from 1560s.
v.

“to heap up,” mid-14c.; see pile (n.1). Related: Piled; piling. Figurative verbal expression pile on “attack vigorously, attack en masse,” is from 1894, American English.

pile (pīl)
n.
A hemorrhoid.

verb

To dash; run; thrust oneself: I piled after her hell to split (1948+)

Related Terms

grub-pile