gill

¹ American  

[gil] / gɪl /

noun

1. the respiratory organ of aquatic animals, as fish, that breathe oxygen dissolved in water.

2. Also called lamella.  one of the radiating vertical plates on the underside of the cap of an agaric mushroom.

3. ground ivy.

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verb (used with object)

1. to gut or clean (fish).

2. to catch (fish) by the gills in a gill net.

idioms

1. green / white around the gills, somewhat pale, as from being sickly, nervous, or frightened.

   The tourists were seasick—all of them green around the gills as the boat rocked back to shore.

2. to the gills, completely; fully; totally.

   After that big meal we were all stuffed to the gills.

gill ² American  

[jil] / dʒɪl /

noun

1. a unit of liquid measure equal to ¼ pint (118.2937 milliliters).

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gill ³ American  

[gil] / gɪl /

noun

British.

1. a deep rocky cleft or wooded ravine forming the course of a stream.

2. a stream; brook; rivulet.

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gill ⁴ American  

[jil] / dʒɪl /

noun

Archaic.

1. a girl or young woman, especially a sweetheart.

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gill ⁵ American  

[gil] / gɪl /

noun

1. a faller used in the combing process, generally for only the highest-quality fibers.

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verb (used with object)

1. to comb (fibers) with a gill.

Gill ⁶ American  

[gil, jil] / gɪl, dʒɪl /

noun

1. a male given name.

2. a female given name.

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gill ¹ British  

/ ɡɪl /

noun

1. a narrow stream; rivulet

2. a wooded ravine

3. (capital when part of place name) a deep natural hole in rock; pothole

   Gaping Gill

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gill ² British  

/ dʒɪl /

noun

1. a unit of liquid measure equal to one quarter of a pint

2. dialect half a pint, esp of beer

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gill ³ British  

/ dʒɪl /

noun

1. archaic a girl or sweetheart

2. Also spelt: jill.  dialect a female ferret

3. an archaic or dialect name for ground ivy

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Gill ⁴ British  

/ ɡɪl /

noun

1. ( Arthur ) Eric ( Rowton ). 1882–1940, British sculptor, engraver, and typographer: his sculptures include the Stations of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral, London

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gill ⁵ British  

/ ɡɪl /

noun

1. the respiratory organ in many aquatic animals, consisting of a membrane or outgrowth well supplied with blood vessels. External gills occur in tadpoles, some molluscs, etc; internal gills , within gill slits, occur in most fishes

2. any of the radiating leaflike spore-producing structures on the undersurface of the cap of a mushroom

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verb

1. to catch (fish) or (of fish) to be caught in a gill net

2. (tr) to gut (fish)

gill Scientific  

/ gĭl /

1. The organ that enables most aquatic animals to take dissolved oxygen from the water. It consists of a series of membranes that have many small blood vessels. Oxygen passes into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide passes out of it as water flows across the membranes.

2. One of the thin strips of tissue on the underside of the cap of many species of basidiomycete fungi. Gills produce the spore-bearing structures known as basidia.

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Other Word Forms

• gill-less adjective
• gill-like adjective
• gilled adjective

Etymology

Origin of gill¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gile, from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse gjǫlnar, from unattested gelnō; cognate with Swedish gäl, Danish gælle, Norwegian gjelle “gill”

Origin of gill²

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English gille, from Old French: “vat, tub,” from Late Latin gello, gillo “water pot”

Origin of gill³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gille, from Old Norse gil

Origin of gill⁴

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English gil(le) (generic use of Gil(le), short form of Gillian; Gillian

Origin of gill⁵

First recorded in 1830–40; perhaps special use of gill ¹

Explanation

A gill is the body part that helps a fish breathe underwater. In fish and other aquatic creatures, their gills are equivalent to our lungs. Fish and some amphibians need to breathe the oxygen in water to live, and they use their gills for this. Gills are the main organs of respiration for animals that live in or under the water. The root of gill is uncertain, but it may be related to the Old Norse gjölnar, "gills," and rooted in the Proto-Indo-European ghel-una, or "jaw."

Example Sentences

Battling strong currents, Ralph Pace captured this image of a swell shark egg case, revealing a glowing embryo, complete with gill slits and a yolk sac.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

The fishing practices, including trawling and the use of gill and seine nets, were shown to cause physical pressures such as abrasion, smothering, siltation and total habitat loss.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

Instead of having gill covers like most other fish, moral eels breathe by opening and closing their mouths, appearing as if they’re gasping for breath.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

But by the time the video footage begins, the underdog octopus had already asserted its toughness, blocking off the eel’s eyes and stuffing arms into its mouth and out the gill hole.

From New York Times • May 17, 2024

When he spotted my father, Derek hauled in the gill net and made a run for it.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Related Words

• run