gill Hear it!

gill1 definition

gill (gil)

noun

  1. the organ for breathing of most animals that live in water, as fish, lobsters, or clams, consisting of a simple saclike or complex feathery evagination of the body surface, usually richly supplied with blood
    1. the red flesh hanging below the beak of a fowl; wattle
    2. the flesh under and about the chin and lower jaw of a person
  3. any of the thin, leaflike, radiating plates on the undersurface of a mushroom, on which the basidiospores are produced

Etymology: ME gile, prob. < Anglo-N < or akin to ON gjǫlnar, jaws, gills, older Dan (fiske) gaeln, Swed gäl < IE base *ghelunā-, jaw > Gr chelynē, lip, jaw

Related Forms:

gill2 definition

gill (jil)

noun

a unit of liquid measure, equal to pint or 4 fluid ounces (0.11829375 liquid liter or 118.29375 milliliters): the British and Canadian imperial gill equals 0.1421 liquid liter: abbrev. gi

Etymology: ME gille < OFr, measure for wine < LL gillo, cooling vessel

gill3 definition

gill (jil)

noun

Archaic a girl or woman; esp., a sweetheart

Etymology: contr. of Gillian, proper name < L Juliana, fem. of Julianus: see Julian

gill4 definition

gill (gil)

noun

  1. a wooded ravine or glen
  2. a narrow stream; brook

Etymology: ME gille < ON gil < IE base *ĝheri-, to gape > yawn, L hiatus

Comments


Do you have more to add? Sign in to share your linguistic knowledge or observation.

Connect with Facebook