From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
mall
n 1: a public area set aside as a pedestrian walk [syn:
promenade, mall]
2: mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped
complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually
includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern
version of the traditional marketplace; "a good plaza should
have a movie house"; "they spent their weekends at the local
malls" [syn: plaza, mall, center, shopping mall,
shopping center, shopping centre]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Mall \Mall\ (m[add]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Malled (m[add]ld);
p. pr. & vb. n. Malling.] [Cf. OF. mailler. See Mall
beetle, and cf. Malleate.]
To beat with a mall; to beat with something heavy; to bruise;
to maul.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Mall \Mall\ (m[add]l; 277), n. [Written also maul.] [OE.
malle, F. mail, L. malleus. Cf. Malleus.]
1. A large heavy wooden beetle; a mallet for driving anything
with force; a maul. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
2. A heavy blow. [Obs.] --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
3. An old game played with malls or mallets and balls. See
Pall-mall. --Cotton.
[1913 Webster]
4. A place where the game of mall was played. Hence: A public
walk; a level shaded walk.
[1913 Webster]
Part of the area was laid out in gravel walks, and
planted with elms; and these convenient and
frequented walks obtained the name of the City Mall.
--Southey.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Mall \Mall\ (m[a^]l), n. [LL. mallum a public assembly; cf. OHG.
mahal assembly, transaction; akin to AS. m[ae][eth]el,
me[eth]el, assembly, m[=ae]lan to speak, Goth. ma[thorn]l
market place.]
Formerly, among Teutonic nations, a meeting of the notables
of a state for the transaction of public business, such
meeting being a modification of the ancient popular assembly.
Hence:
(a) A court of justice.
(b) A place where justice is administered.
(c) A place where public meetings are held.
[1913 Webster]
Councils, which had been as frequent as diets or
malls, ceased. --Milman.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Mall \Mall\ (m[add]l), n.
1. A public access area containing a promenade for
pedestrians; as, to gather near the Washington monument on
the mall in Washington.
[PJC]
2. The paved or grassy strip between two roadways.
[PJC]
3. A shopping area with multiple shops and a concourse for
predominantly or exclusively pedestrian use; in cities the
concourse is usually a city street which may be
temporarily or permamently closed to motor vehicles; in
suburban areas, a mall is often located on a convenient
highway, may be large, contained in one building or in
multiple buildings connected by (usually covered)
walkways. Also called shopping mall
[PJC]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Maul \Maul\, n. [See Mall a hammer.]
A heavy wooden hammer or beetle. [Written also mall.]
[1913 Webster]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008) [foldoc]:
mall
<World-Wide Web> A collection of World-Wide Web documents
featuring commercial products and services, usually served by
one particualr Internet access provider.
(1995-04-10)