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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
  2. 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

gill¹ Related Forms
gilled (gild) adjective
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

gill Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • fish: Figure 6. How water is pumped through the gills of fish.
  • beer: A few weeks ago, James had entered his house and ordered a gill of beer.

Converse of object

  • have: Fish have gills to get the oxygen out of the water.
  • clog: They then produce mucus which clogs there gills causing them to die.
  • use: Their bodies are covered in scales and, like sharks, they use gills to get oxygen from water.
  • cross: From the car park, take the footpath which runs up the side of Blease Gill, crossing the gill at the wooden footbridge.
  • develop: Does the human fetus temporarily develop gills, a tail, and a yolk sac?

Adjective modifier

  • feathery: On emerging from the egg, the tadpoles have feathery external gills.
  • pale: White or pale straw gills radiate from the point of attachment where they may fork.
  • external: The larvae have external gills, which absorb oxygen directly from the water.
  • blue: Delicious with plenty visitors easy river blue gill speckled walked here in.
  • red: Whole fish should have clear, bright eyes and bright red gills.
  • brown: All these specimens had brown gills as shown in the photographs.

Modifies a noun

  • raker: Great care must be taken to not damage the gill rakers.
  • fluke: In large numbers both skin and gill flukes represent a serious threat to fish health.
  • slit: Most fish have gill slits on the sides where the head joins the body.
  • filament: Dactylogyrus 01 ( Gill fluke ) ( 212 kb ) A gill fluke on the edge of a gill filament at 100x magnification.
  • net: Ghost fishing by lost cod gill nets in the Baltic Sea.
  • arch: Can a greater amberjack ever have 23 gill rakers on the first gill arch?

Noun used with modifier

  • monofilament: It was caught in a monofilament gill net off the southwest Coast of Guernsey in about 60 feet of water.

Browse dictionary entries near gill

  1. Gilgamesh
  2. Giles
  3. Gilead
  4. gilding
  5. Gilded Age
  6. Gilda
  7. gild
  8. Gilbert Islands
  9. gilbert
  10. Gila monster
  1. gill cleft
  2. gill fungus
  3. gill net
  4. gill slit
  5. Gillespie
  6. Gillette
  7. Gillian
  8. gillie
  9. gilliflower
  10. Gilsonite