arroyo

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a steep-sided channel or creek bed in an arid region, usually dry but liable to fill after rain

   A flash flood swept through the dry arroyo after the storm.

2. 2
   noun

   a small stream or watercourse, especially in the southwestern United States

   Cottonwoods grew along the arroyo below the ridge.

Borrowed into southwestern American English from Spanish arroyo ("stream, brook, watercourse"). In arid landscapes the word commonly denotes a channel that remains dry except after heavy rain.

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