American Heritage Dictionary Entry: bail HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com bail 1 (bāl) Share: Tweet n. 1. Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial. 2. Release from imprisonment provided by the payment of such money. 3. A person who provides this security. tr.v. bailed, bail·ing, bails 1. To secure the release of by providing security. 2. To release (a person) for whom security has been paid. 3. Informal To extricate from a difficult situation: always bailing you out of trouble.Idioms: jump/skip bail To fail to appear in court and so forfeit one's bail. make bail To secure enough money or property to pay the amount of one's bail. [Middle English, custody, from Old French, from baillier, to take charge of, from Latin bāiulāre, to carry a load, from bāiulus, carrier of a burden.] bailer n. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. bail 2 (bāl) Share: Tweet v. bailed, bail·ing, bails v.tr. 1. To remove (water) from a boat by repeatedly filling a container and emptying it over the side. 2. To empty (a boat) of water by bailing. v.intr. 1. To empty a boat of water by bailing. 2. To parachute from an aircraft; eject. Often used with out: bailed out of the damaged airplane at the last possible moment. 3. To abandon a project or enterprise. Often used with out: The investors bailed out when it looked as though the company was going to be unprofitable. n. A container used for emptying water from a boat. [From Middle English baille, bucket, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *bāiula, water container, from Latin bāiulāre, to carry a load.] bailer n. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. bail 3 (bāl) Share: Tweet n. 1. The arched hooplike handle of a container, such as a pail. 2. An arch or hoop, such as one of those used to support the top of a covered wagon. 3. A hinged bar on a typewriter that holds the paper against the platen. 4. The pivoting U-shaped part of a fishing reel that guides the line onto the spool during rewinding. 5. A small loop, usually of metal, attached to a pendant to enable it to be strung on a necklace or bracelet. [Middle Englishbeil, perhaps fromOld English*begelorof Scandinavian origin; see bheug- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] (click for a larger image)bail3 covered wagon The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. bail 4 (bāl) Share: Tweet n. 1. Chiefly British A pole or bar used to confine or separate animals. 2. Sports One of the two crossbars that form the top of a wicket used in the game of cricket. [Old French dialectal, probably from Latin baculum, stick; see BACILLUS.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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