Peal, n.
1. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, of a multitude, etc. “A fair peal of artillery.”
Whether those peals of praise be his or no. --Shak.
And a deep thunder, peal on peal, afar. --Byron.
2. A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale; also, the changes rung on a set of bells.
To ring a peal. See under Ring.
Ring v. t. [imp. Rang or Rung p. p. Rung; p. pr. & vb. n. Ringing.]
1. To cause to sound, especially by striking, as a metallic body; as, to ring a bell.
2. To make (a sound), as by ringing a bell; to sound.
The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums,
Hath rung night's yawning peal. --Shak.
3. To repeat often, loudly, or earnestly.
To ring a peal, to ring a set of changes on a chime of bells.
To ring the changes upon. See under Change.
To ring in or To ring out, to usher, attend on, or celebrate, by the ringing of bells; as, to ring out the old year and ring in the new. --Tennyson.
To ring the bells backward, to sound the chimes, reversing the common order; -- formerly done as a signal of alarm or danger. --Sir W. Scott.