downland

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   open, rolling hill country, especially grassy land over chalk or limestone in southern England

   A narrow path crossed the open downland above the coastal village.

A compound of down + land. Down in the landscape sense comes from Old English dūn ("hill"), not from the directional adverb. Downland is particularly associated with the smooth chalk hills and grasslands of southern England.

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