swallet

[swol-it]

noun

British.

1. an underground stream.

2. an opening through which a stream descends underground.

Word History and Origins

Origin of swallet¹

First recorded in 1660–70; swall(ow) ¹ + -et

Example Sentences

The first part of the cave system, Redhouse Lane Swallet, was originally found in the 1990s by Paul Taylor, a caver from Gloucester.

From BBC

In the 1990s, Mr Taylor began exploration work on the Redhouse Lane Swallet in the Forest of Dean and after two years of digging discovered the initial cave system which was around a mile long.

From BBC

The opening of the pit, called a swallet, is unusually large: spanning about 330 feet in length and almost 200 feet across.

From New York Times

He knocked in two goals one day, four the next as his Foot Guards polo team galloped to a 4-to-3 victory over New Farm and a 6-to-� win over Swallet House.

From Time Magazine Archive

The level of the tableland is indented with "swallet holes," the chief of which are the East Water Swallet and the Devil's Punch-Bowl.

From Project Gutenberg