pail

1 a roughly cylindrical that is vessel open at the top [syn: bucket]

2 the quantity contained in a pail [syn: pailful]

English

Pronunciation

• AHD: pāl
• /peɪl/
• SAMPA: /peIl/

• Rhymes: -eɪl

Homophones

• pale

Noun

1. A vessel of wood or tin, etc., usually cylindrical and having a bail, -- used esp. for carrying liquids, as water or milk, etc.; a bucket.

   It may, or may not, have a cover. --Shak.

2. A company of wasps.

Synonyms

• bucket

Translations

A bucket, also called a pail, is a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. Buckets have been used since very ancient times, mainly for transporting water from a fountain or well into permanent reservoirs such as water holes and barrels. Buckets are also used to carry paint, sand and foodstuffs. There was once a rhyme written about a bucket, It consisted of key elements involving Jack and Jill, They had a pail. Buckets can also be used on farms, to give feed to animals such as horses or cows, or to collect things such as apples or pears.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that infants and toddlers can drown in 5-gallon buckets.http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5006.pdf