coulee
Americannoun
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Chiefly Western U.S. and Western Canada. a deep ravine or gulch, usually dry, that has been formed by running water.
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a small valley.
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a low-lying area.
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a small intermittent stream.
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Geology. a stream of lava.
noun
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a flow of molten lava
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such lava when solidified
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a dry stream valley, especially a long steep-sided gorge or ravine that once carried melt water from a glacier
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a small intermittent stream in such a ravine
Etymology
Origin of coulee
1800–10, < Canadian French, French: a flowing, noun use of feminine of coulé, past participle of couler to flow < Latin cōlāre to filter, strain, derivative of cōlum strainer, sieve; cf. colander, portcullis
Explanation
A coulee is a gully, stream, or ravine that's full of water. Bring your waterproof boots for the hike — the valley is full of coulees! The meaning of coulee varies regionally. In some places, a coulee is a flowing stream of volcanic lava. In the northwestern U.S. and Canada, it's a kind of trench or trough that fills with rainwater, but in the Midwest people might call any small body of water a coulee. And in Louisiana, it's spelled coulée. The word is North American in origin, from a French root meaning "to flow," and it was first used by 17th-century French trappers and explorers.
Vocabulary lists containing coulee
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.
After two short miles, arrive at the head of a coulee dotted with three lakes and a small waterfall.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2017
There are multiple ways to access this area; the description below begins in the Northwest corner of the coulee and is accessible to hikers of all ages and abilities.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2017
The toe of the slump is being eroded by the seasonal stream that created the coulee.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Figure 15.15 A slump along the banks of a small coulee near Lethbridge, Alberta.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
One more dip down a coulee and back up again and I could see the house.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
