# paling

Pronunciation: US say "PAY-ling" /ˈpeɪlɪŋ/; UK

## Noun

1. A pointed wooden stake, one of several set upright to form a fence.
   - Simple: A pointed wooden stick used to build a fence.
   - _The carpenter sharpened the top of each paling before driving it into the ground._
   - _Several palings had worked loose, leaving gaps in the garden fence._
2. A fence made up of pointed wooden stakes set upright in a row.
   - Simple: A fence built from many pointed wooden sticks set in a row.
   - _A weathered paling enclosed the cottage garden on three sides._
   - _Children peered through the gaps in the paling at the horses beyond._
4. A boundary fence built from panels of galvanized sheet metal. *(Caribbean)*
   - Simple: A fence built from sheets of rust-proof metal.
   - _A galvanized paling enclosed the building site to keep intruders out._
   - _The factory yard was ringed with a rust-streaked metal paling._

## Verb

3. Present participle and gerund of pale. — present participle and gerund of pale
   - Simple: Present participle of pale. Use this form for something losing its color as it happens.
   - _The colors in the old photograph were slowly paling with age._
   - _Paling beside its flashier rivals, the once-famous brand lost its appeal._

## Origin

**Meaning 3** — Formed from "pale" combined with the suffix "-ing."
**Meanings 1–2, 4** — From Middle English "palyng" or "palynge," equivalent to "pale" plus the suffix "-ing."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/paling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).