swale
Americannoun
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a low place in a tract of land, usually moister and often having ranker vegetation than the adjacent higher land.
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a valleylike intersection of two slopes in a piece of land.
noun
Etymology
Origin of swale
1400–50; late Middle English; originally a cool, shady spot, perhaps < Old Norse svalr cool, or svalir a covered porch
Explanation
A swale is a low, damp piece of land. You might want to avoid walking through the swale on your road in your brand new suede shoes. An area of ground marked by raised ridges might also have swales between them. Many swales are natural land formations, but others are made on purpose to direct rainwater, manage runoff, and conserve the soil. These deliberate swales help spread rainwater across a wide section of land, rather than allowing it to flow quickly in one direction. Swale comes from the Scottish swaill, "low place," or the East Anglican swale, "shady place."
Vocabulary lists containing swale
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Geological Features
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The Birchbark House
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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.
The land here was laser-leveled, and workers carved a swale to give juvenile salmon a way in and out when the plain floods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
“A swale is cheap and affordable and can handle much more water than a rain barrel,” Bautista said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
The site chosen was a fertile stretch of glacier-carved swale between Queen Anne Hill and regraded Denny Hill.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2022
Bob MacIntyre sends his second at 18 down the swale to the left of the green, the one which briefly threatened to undo Sandy Lyle in 1985.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 17, 2021
Werner sees no tracks, only a humped swale of glitter in the moonlight, and the white forest beyond.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
