wale

noun

1. a streak, stripe, or ridge produced on the skin by the stroke of a rod or whip; welt.
2. the vertical rib in knit goods or a chain of loops running lengthwise in knit fabric (opposed to course).
3. the texture or weave of a fabric.
4. Nautical.
   1. any of certain strakes of thick outside planking on the sides of a wooden ship.
   2. gunwale.
5. Also called breast timber, ranger, waling. Engineering, Building Trades. a horizontal timber or other support for reinforcing various upright members, as sheet piling or concrete form boards, or for retaining earth at the edge of an excavation.
6. a ridge on the outside of a horse collar.