rill

1 of 3

noun (1)

: a very small brook

rill

2 of 3

verb

rilled; rilling; rills

intransitive verb

: to flow like a rill

rill

3 of 3

noun (2)

variants or rille
ˈril How to pronounce rill (audio)
ˈri-lə
: any of several long narrow valleys on the moon's surface

Examples of rill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Now a little rill of wavelets across the surface of the flood was the only thing that marked the river’s usual borders. Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 31 May 2023 Over millions of years, the river and its tributaries have carved a fanlike rill of dramatic canyons out of the ancient sediments of the Mesa Verde tablelands, a maze of vertiginous stone walls. Jeff Wise, Discover Magazine, 19 May 2010

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Dutch ril or Low German rille; akin to Old English rīth rivulet

Noun (2)

German Rille, literally, channel made by a small stream, from Low German, rill

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1538, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1610, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rill was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near rill

Cite this Entry

“Rill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rill. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rill

noun
ˈril
: a very small brook

More from Merriam-Webster on rill

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