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
Dirty Words: The Language of Gardening
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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.
“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
“It took me two months end to end,” Bautista said, including gutters, hardscape, edging and building a trench to the swale in the backyard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
Rahm read a 58-footer over a hill and through a swale.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2021
With Andy Sullivan having just sent his approach at 9 down a swale to the right of the green, Paul Casey could be the sole leader very soon.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 15, 2021
One day, two men were out hunting four miles northwest of Fairfax when they spotted a car at the bottom of a rocky swale.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
