Talk:Dreadful Wale/@comment-16533050-20160722183651

A recent comment on the Meagan Foster page brought back a thought I've been having regarding the meaning of the ship's name.

I am a (admittedly very minor) dabbler in onomatology and etymology (the study of the origins and meanings of names, and the study of the origins and meanings of words respectively), and something about the word 'Wale' seemed wrong.

The origin of wale as it is presented here is an odd choice. I would have chosen 'Wail' instead, like a scream of lamentation.

One definition of the word 'Wale' is "a plank running along the side of a wooden ship, thicker than the usual planking, and strengthening and protecting the hull."

I doubt that would be 'dreadful' though.

The other meaning is a stripe, or more accurately the swollen mark on the skin like such after being struck by a lash from a whip. Coming from the word 'weal' (as in a 'welt') I could see wale meaning that here.

So, perhaps it means a wicked scar, caused by a whip, or torture, or punishment. Meagan Foster lost her arm, and perhaps has conveyed the circumstances of that experience (which is unknown to me at the moment) into the name of her ship.