rale also râle (räl)n. An abnormal respiratory sound characterized by fine crackles.[French râle, from râler, to make a rattling sound in the throat, from Old French racler, to scrape, rattle; see raclette.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.rale (r??l) or râlen (Pathology) med an abnormal coarse crackling sound heard on auscultation of the chest, usually caused by the accumulation of fluid in the lungs[C19: from French râle, from râler to breathe with a rattling sound; compare rail3]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014rale (ræl, r?l) n. an abnormal rattling sound made while breathing. [1820?30;