Gill, Glen, Gorge, Grave: Origins, Forms, Histories of Words Meaning Valley, Cave

Valleys and caves, as well as human-made features of a similar nature, are known by many different words in English. In the current alphabetic series of such terms, the next examples are gill, glen, gorge, grave, and groove.

Gill
Modern English topographical gill comes from Middle English gill (14th century) and gille (15th century), from Old Norse gil. The word is akin to Old High German gil ("hernia"), Middle Low German gil ("throat"), and Old English gaelan ("to hinder, impede").

Gill is used in British English in two senses: (1) a narrow, steep-sided rocky ravine, usually forming the course of a stream (1400); (2) a narrow stream or rivulet, especially one flowing through a gill (1625).

Glen
Glen entered English in the 15th century from (assumed) Scottish Gaelic glenn ("valley"). The word is akin to Middle Irish glend ("valley").

A secluded mountain valley, usually narrow and forming the course of a stream, is a glen (15th century). At first the word was applied to narrow mountain valleys in Scotland and Ireland, but later glen was extended to similar features in other countries.

Gorge
Gorge entered English in the 14th century from Middle French gorge, from Late Latin gurga, an alteration of gurges, from Latin gurges ("whirlpool, throat"). The word is akin to Latin vorare ("to devour").

The original meaning of gorge is the throat (14th century).

A narrow ravine with steep, rocky walls, especially one that gives passage to a stream, is a gorge (18th century).

Grave
Modern English grave comes from Middle English grave (13th century), from Old English graef (before 12th century). The word is akin to Old English grafan ("to dig") and Old High German grab ("grave").

An excavation in the earth for the burial of a body is a grave (before 1000).

Groove
Modern English groove comes from Middle English grofe (15th century) and groof (15th century). The word is akin to Old English grafan ("to dig") and Old High German gruoba ("pit, cave").

The original meaning of groove is a pit, a mine, or a mining shaft (15th century). This sense of the word is now used only in British dialect. During the 15th century, the word also denoted a cave (long an obsolete sense).

Any kind of a long narrow depression is a groove (17th century).

Topographically a groove is a long narrow furrow formed by a natural erosive force, such as flowing water-that is, a narrow valley (19th century).
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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.