Corrie, Dale, Defile, Dell: Origins, Forms, Histories of Words Meaning Valley, Cave

The natural features of a region are called its topography. The word comes from Greek topos ("place").

English speakers have a long history of inventing (or borrowing from other languages) all sorts of different names for related topographical features.

Valleys and caves, for example, as well as human-made features having similar topographical effects, are known by a wide range of words in English, each with its own unique story to tell.

In the alphabetically arranged presentation of such terms in the current series, the next words are these: corrie, dale, defile, and dell. Here is an overview of their origins, forms, and histories. The dates of first appearance of the forms and meanings are from the Oxford English Dictionary.

Corrie
Corrie comes from Scottish Gaelic coire ("kettle," hence "circular hollow"). The word is akin to Old English and Old High German hwer ("kettle").

A corrie is a circular hollow on a mountain side, usually surrounded with steep slopes or precipices (1795). Synonymous terms include circus, cirque, and cwm.

Dale
Modern English dale comes from Middle English dale (13th century), from Old English dael (before 12th century). The word is akin to Old High German tal ("valley") and Welsh dol ("valley").

A dale is a valley (before 12th century).

In general English, the word is used mostly in poetic contexts and in the old expression hill and dale (which goes back to at least the Middle English period).

In northern England and Scotland, the word is commonly used to denote a river valley running through highland or hill ranges.

Dale is also used in place-names. Clydesdale, for example, is the valley of the upper Clyde, a river in southern Scotland. The region is noted for producing a breed of heavy draft horses called Clydesdale.

Defile
The English topographical word defile comes from French défilé, from the past participle of défiler ("to march in a line"), from dé- ("down") plus filer ("to move in a column").

A long, narrow passage or gorge between hills, cliffs, mountains, or similar features is a defile (1685).

Dell
Dell entered Middle English in the 13th century. Its early spellings include dele and delle. The word is akin to Middle High German telle ("ravine") and Old English dael ("dale, valley").

A deep, secluded hollow or small valley usually covered with trees is a dell (c. 1220).
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Encyclopaedia Britannica Ready Reference 2004. CD-ROM. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2004.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 2006.

Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary. 3rd ed. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 2007.

The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1989.