rivulet
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rivulet
1580–90; earlier rivolet < Italian rivoletto, diminutive of rivolo < Latin rīvulus small stream
Explanation
A rivulet is a small stream. A rivulet is to a river as a baby is to an adult. There are several ways to remember this word. One is the similarity of its sound to "river." Another is the suffix -let, which indicates small things. For example, a piglet is a small pig or baby pig. A 300-pound pig probably wouldn't drown in a tiny rivulet, but a piglet should stay clear. Another word for rivulet is streamlet.
Vocabulary lists containing rivulet
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Hatchet
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Touching Spirit Bear
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Is that rivulet a defined, discrete conveyance?" pondered Prows.
From Salon • Sep. 14, 2022
Down the concrete artery the team members drove that Wednesday morning, crossing the foul rivulet that ran down the channel, sidestepping the flotsam of broken bottles, cigarette butts and other litter when they stepped out.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2021
I felt a rivulet of rain run down my neck.
From Slate • May 21, 2020
That’s when your breakfast reveals its secret: a rivulet of rich yolk, the ideal counterpoint to the sweet waffle.
From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2015
The thin rivulet of a tear fell quietly down her pale cheekbone, disappearing into the darkness.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
