gully

See also: Gully

English

Alternative forms

• gulley (Etymology 1)

Pronunciation

• enPR: gŭl'ē, IPA^(key): /ˈɡʌli/

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• Rhymes: -ʌli

Etymology 1

From Middle English golet, from Old French goulet, from Latin gula (“throat”).

Noun

gully (plural gullies)

1. A trench, ravine or narrow channel which was worn by water flow, especially on a hillside.
2. A small valley.
3. (Britain) A drop kerb.
4. A road drain.
5. (cricket) A fielding position on the off side about 30 degrees behind square, between the slips and point; a fielder in such a position
6. (Britain) A grooved iron rail or tram plate.

Synonyms

• gill (“cleft, ravine”)

Related terms

• gullet
• gully gut
• gully hole

Translations

a trench, ravine or narrow channel which was worn by water flow, especially on a hillside

• Bulgarian: дере (bg) n (dere), овраг (bg) m (ovrag)
• Dutch: geul (nl) f
• Georgian: ხევი (ka) (xevi)
• German: Erosionsrinne f
• Greek:

  Ancient: χαράδρα f (kharádra)

• Hungarian: vízmosás (hu), árok (hu)
• Icelandic: skorningur m
• Italian: calanco (it) m

• Kabuverdianu: barrónke, baranku
• Maori: kōawaawa, kowaka (if it contains no water), parari
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ravine m

  Nynorsk: ravine m

• Plautdietsch: Schälran f
• Russian: ложби́на (ru) f (ložbína), промо́ина (ru) f (promóina), буера́к (ru) m (bujerák), ры́твина (ru) f (rýtvina), вы́моина (ru) f (výmoina), кулуар (ru) m (kuluar)
• Spanish: barranco (es) m
• Yagara: pilla

A small valley

• Hungarian: árok (hu)

• Maori: kopia

A road drain

• Bulgarian: канавка (bg) f (kanavka)

Verb

gully (third-person singular simple present gullies, present participle gullying, simple past and past participle gullied)

1. (obsolete) To flow noisily.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Johnson to this entry?)

2. (transitive) To wear away into a gully or gullies.

Etymology 2

From Scots gully, of unknown origin.

Noun

gully (plural gullies)

1. (Scotland, northern UK) A large knife.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, page 139:

     With that I made my mind up, took out my gully, opened it with my teeth, and cut one strand after another […]

References

Gullies And Other Knives

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Scots

Etymology

Origin unknown.

Noun

gully (plural gullies)

1. large knife

   • God than he lewch and owre the dyk lap, / And owt of his scheith his gully owtgatt. (The Bannatyne Manuscript)