valley

[ val-ee ]

noun

, plural val·leys.

1. an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one following the course of a stream.
2. an extensive, more or less flat, and relatively low region drained by a great river system.
3. any depression or hollow resembling a valley.
4. a low point or interval in any process, representation, or situation.
5. any place, period, or situation that is filled with fear, gloom, foreboding, or the like:

   the valley of despair.

6. Architecture. a depression or angle formed by the meeting of two inclined sides of a roof.
7. the lower phase of a horizontal wave motion.

valley

/ ˈvælɪ /

noun

1. a long depression in the land surface, usually containing a river, formed by erosion or by movements in the earth's crust
2. the broad area drained by a single river system

   the Thames valley

3. any elongated depression resembling a valley
4. the junction of a roof slope with another or with a wall
5. modifier relating to or proceeding by way of a valley

   a valley railway

valley

/ văl′ē /

1. A long, narrow region of low land between ranges of mountains, hills, or other high areas, often having a river or stream running along the bottom. Valleys are most commonly formed through the erosion of land by rivers or glaciers. They also form where large regions of land are lowered because of geological faults.

Other Words From

• valley·like adjective
• inter·valley noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of valley¹

1250–1300; Middle English valeie, valey < Old French valee, equivalent to val vale ( def ) + -ee < Latin -āta, feminine of -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of valley¹

C13: from Old French valee, from Latin vallis

Example Sentences

Upstream, a glacial lake had formed, then suddenly burst - sending water, boulders and debris cascading down the valley and gathering speed.

From BBC

Their scheme laid the groundwork for the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which in 1913 began sending the valley’s water to the growing city 233 miles away.

From Los Angeles Times

For a rare, if not lucky, few days a year, Yosemite National Park’s famed El Capitan granite cliff converts into what looks like an active volcano jutting 3,000 feet above the valley floor.

From Los Angeles Times

Growing up as an only child in the south Wales valleys, he said he had a very close and happy relationship with his parents, David and Yvonne.

From BBC

“It was unusually dry for several months,” Wilson said, adding that a low pressure system “picked up all that dust and carried it across the entire valley.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• basin
• canyon
• gorge
• lowland
• plain