Skip to main content
PlainSpell

cale

French, noun

cale is spelled C-A-L-E (4 letters) and appears 4.0 times per million words in written French, the 13,132nd most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Cale is a French feminine noun meaning “wedge (under door etc.)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of caler. With an accent, calé is a different word: “knowledgeable”.

What does cale mean in English?

noun

  1. 1

    femininewedge (under door etc.)

  2. 2

    femininewedge

  3. 3

    femininechock (for wheel)

noun

  1. 1

    feminineobsoleteimmersion (in water)

  2. 2

    femininehold (of a ship)

  3. 3

    feminineslipway

  4. 4

    femininebilge

verb

  1. 1

    first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive

  2. 2

    second-person singular imperative

adjective

as calé
  1. 1

    colloquialknowledgeable

verb

as calé
  1. 1

    past participle of caler

Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How French dictionaries define it

noun: 1. La partie la plus basse dans l’intérieur d’un bâtiment ; compartiment où sont stockées différentes marchandises.

noun: 1. Pièce que l’on place sous un objet pour lui donner de l’aplomb, pour le mettre à niveau ou pour l’empêcher de bouger.

noun: 1. Espace plan, incliné sur un quai facilitant l’accès à l'eau, pour le déplacement de bateaux à réparer, de marchandises. 2. Crique.

noun: 1. Ancien bonnet de femme couvrant les oreilles avec le dessus plat. 2. Casquette pour homme ne couvrant que le haut de la tête.

adjective: 1. Dans l’aisance, riche. 2. Doué d’un grand savoir.

noun: 1. Variante de kalé.

The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.

Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

Forms of cale

  • cales plural
  • calée feminine
  • calés masculine plural
  • calées feminine plural
  • Calés plural
  • calé

Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

English words that translate to cale

Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.

How common is cale in French?

cale appears 4.0 times per million words in written French.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

What to look up after cale