ginnel

British

/ ˈɡɪnəl, ˈdʒɪn- /

noun

dialect a narrow passageway between buildings

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ginnel

C17: perhaps a corruption of _channel ¹

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.

They arranged for the ginnel to be gated off, cleaned up the space and added planters, bunting and other decorative features.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2024

Ms Leach said they had been growing climbers, herbs and even beans along the ginnel.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2024

An away Susy flew daan th' ginnel, famously suited wi' th' way shoo'd capt 'em wi' her scholarship.

From Yorksher Puddin' A Collection of the Most Popular Dialect Stories from the Pen of John Hartley by Hartley, John

I want to say I've been up one, and I can't bring it in unless I say, "I went up a ginnel at Ousebank,"' explained Horatia.

From Sarah's School Friend by Baldwin, May

I saw some country men and women get in, and I just followed them; and, oh Sarah, what does "ginnel" mean, and a "fettle"?'

From Sarah's School Friend by Baldwin, May

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023