dells

[ delz ]

/ dɛlz /

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See synonyms for: dell on Thesaurus.com

plural noun

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Origin of dells

By construal as a plural of dell

The spell is wrought: imagination swells My sleeping-room to hills, and woods, and dells!
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various
The Covenanters met to worship God in the moorlands and dells, setting a watch for the dragoons of Claverhouse.
The Covenants And The Covenanters|Various
A real forest it is—six hundred acres in extent, and varied by steep declivities, wild dells, and tangled dingles.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VII, December 1850, Vol. II|Various
No lightsome laughter echoed through those leafy dells, grating upon the ear which almost listened for the loved voice.
Ruth Hall|Fanny Fern

Sometimes I 'fell,' as I drank deep then of the magic well-water, and went astray in the green dells and avenues of the wildwood.
The Secret Glory|Arthur Machen