rill C1 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ɹɪl/ UK /ɹɪl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a small stream or brook, often a shallow channel of water The rain created a rill that flowed down the hillside. 2 noun a narrow, shallow incision on the surface of the ground, typically formed by running water The landscape was marked by rills carved into the soil. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a small stream or brook,... brookstreamletcreekrivuletrunnel 2 noun · a narrow, shallow incision... groovechannelgullyfurrow Etymology AI details rill (Modern English, 'small brook or stream'); from Proto-Germanic _rīth-_ ('stream; brook'), via Old High German _rīla_ and Middle High German _rille_ ('small stream'). Topics Describing Qualities External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # rill **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ɹɪl/ **IPA (UK):** /ɹɪl/ ## Meanings 1. a small stream or brook, often a shallow channel of water 2. a narrow, shallow incision on the surface of the ground, typically formed by running water ## Examples - The rain created a rill that flowed down the hillside. - The landscape was marked by rills carved into the soil. ## Synonyms - brook - streamlet - creek - rivulet - runnel - channel - gully - furrow ## Etymology rill (Modern English, 'small brook or stream'); from Proto-Germanic _rīth-_ ('stream; brook'), via Old High German _rīla_ and Middle High German _rille_ ('small stream'). ## AI Etymology Rill is a Modern English word meaning 'small brook or stream', from Proto-Germanic rīth- ('stream; brook'), via Old High German rīla and Middle High German rille ('small stream'). In current use it is a noun meaning "a small stream or brook, often a shallow channel of water". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown