rill

¹

[ ril ]

noun

1. a small rivulet or brook.

rill

²

or rille

[ ril ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. any of certain long, narrow, straight or sinuous trenches or valleys observed on the surface of the moon.

rill

/ rɪl /

noun

1. a brook or stream; rivulet
2. a small channel or gulley, such as one formed during soil erosion
3. Alsorille one of many winding cracks on the moon

Word History and Origins

Origin of rill¹

1530–40; < Dutch or Low German; compare Frisian ril

Origin of rill²

1885–90; < German Rille; rill ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of rill¹

C15: from Low German rille ; related to Dutch ril

Example Sentences

And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,

From Los Angeles Times

My filly’s whinny, timid trill: I’m sitting by this icy rill, In wintry, frigid wild?

From Washington Post

Past gardens have included impressive boulder-strewn waterfalls, trickling rills and reflective ponds.

From Seattle Times

All this lethal offal seeped and oozed into the ground, into the rills and runnels that flowed beneath our town, where we all drank well-water.

From New York Times

Water, and lack of water, is a recurring theme, represented by two ponds connected by a dry rill.

From Los Angeles Times