valley

[val-ee]

noun

plural

valleys 

1. an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one following the course of a stream.

2. an extensive, more or less flat, and relatively low region drained by a great river system.

3. any depression or hollow resembling a valley.

4. a low point or interval in any process, representation, or situation.

5. any place, period, or situation that is filled with fear, gloom, foreboding, or the like.

   the valley of despair.

6. Architecture.,  a depression or angle formed by the meeting of two inclined sides of a roof.

7. the lower phase of a horizontal wave motion.

valley

/ ˈvælɪ /

noun

1. a long depression in the land surface, usually containing a river, formed by erosion or by movements in the earth's crust

2. the broad area drained by a single river system

   the Thames valley

3. any elongated depression resembling a valley

4. the junction of a roof slope with another or with a wall

5. (modifier) relating to or proceeding by way of a valley

   a valley railway

valley

1. A long, narrow region of low land between ranges of mountains, hills, or other high areas, often having a river or stream running along the bottom. Valleys are most commonly formed through the erosion of land by rivers or glaciers. They also form where large regions of land are lowered because of geological faults.

Other Word Forms

• valleylike adjective
• intervalley noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of valley¹

1250–1300; Middle English valeie, valey < Old French valee, equivalent to val vale ( def. ) + -ee < Latin -āta, feminine of -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of valley¹

C13: from Old French valee, from Latin vallis

Example Sentences

The company deployed boats and enlisted the Zambia Air Force to dump hundreds of tons of lime into the valley in an attempt to neutralize the contamination.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Though no red flag warnings have yet been issued, both the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valley foothills will have elevated fire risks once the winds arrive, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Even Monograno Felicetti, an artisanal brand based in a valley in the Alps, touts that it uses durum wheat from Puglia in some of its products.

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Some, such as the immense Himalayan glaciers, even send cold air streaming down their slopes, cooling the valleys below.

Read more on Science Daily

Nevertheless, Beyem Seyo pack members continued to feast on the valley’s ample supply of cows, which are fatty, tasty and relatively easy to catch.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• basin 
• canyon 
• gorge 
• lowland 
• plain