Word of the day! 8-9-08

Today's Word
regale \rih-GAY(uh)L\, transitive verb:1. To entertain with something that delights.2. To entertain sumptuously with fine food and drink.
intransitive verb:1. To feast.
noun:1. A sumptuous feast.2. A choice food; a delicacy.3. Refreshment.

"If I've been away, and the boys do remember to ask about my trip, I remark on their thoughtfulness by saying, 'Thanks for asking!' and then regale them with stories about my journey.-- Lucy Calkins, Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent's Guide

"He might also regale them with tales of how his Magic team beat Jordan's Bulls, 108-102, in Game 6 to win their four-of-seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series before a stunned crowd of 24,332 tonight at the United Center.-- "Bulls Burst in the Air as Magic Moves On", New York Times, May 19, 1995

"Levin settled his guests in the dense, cool shade of the young aspens on a bench and some stumps purposely put there for visitors to the bee-house who might be afraid of the bees, and he went off himself to the hut to get bread, cucumbers, and fresh honey, to regale them with.-- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, translated by Constance Garnett

Regale comes from French régaler, "to entertain." It is related to gallant.