wadi
Americannoun
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the channel of a watercourse that is dry except during periods of rainfall.
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such a stream or watercourse itself.
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a valley.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wadi
First recorded in 1830–40, wadi is from the Arabic word wādī
Explanation
A wadi is a low, dry valley. The term wadi is most commonly used in Arabic-speaking parts of the world. This word wadi is mainly used to describe valleys and dry creeks and riverbeds in the Middle East and North Africa. A wadi might be a stream during the rainy season and a dry ravine during the rest of the year. Wadi comes from the Arabic wādī, "river" or "watercourse," and it appears in many place names — for example, Guadalajara comes from the Arabic wādī al-hidjārah, "river of stones."
Vocabulary lists containing wadi
Physical Geography - Middle School
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Africa - Introductory
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Physical Geography - High School
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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.
Shorouq Al-Ashqar and colleagues describe the fossil, which was found in the Wadi Moghra region of northern Egypt and dates to around 17-18 million years ago.
From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026
“This is a person who has always served our community,” Wadi said, noting that people reach out every day to learn how they can help.
From Salon • Nov. 20, 2025
On Tuesday, four men were killed in Wadi Gaza, which is also known as the Netzarim Corridor – an area from which Israeli forces withdrew as part of the Gaza ceasefire terms.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2025
Maj-Gen Amr Hanafi said the survivors were found in the Wadi el-Gemal area, which is south of Marsa Alam, and that they were receiving the necessary medical care.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2024
Now I was drinking sugary tea with Zalabia Bedouins and squatting on a sand drift in Wadi Rum, the Valley of the Moon, less than twenty miles from the Saudi Arabian border.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
