Dell (landform)

Not to be confused with Dale (landform).
Dell in the Little Carpathians with a dry stream channel

In physical geography, a dell is a grassy hollow—or dried stream bed—often partially covered in trees.[1][2] In literature, dells have pastoral connotations, frequently imagined as secluded and pleasant safe havens.

The word "dell" comes from the Old English word dell, which is related to the Old English word dæl, modern 'dale'.[2][3] The term is sometimes used interchangeably with the word "dingle", although "dingle" specifically refers to deep ravines or hollows that are embowered with trees.[4] The terms have also been combined to form examples of tautological placenames in Dingle Dell, Kent, and Dingle Dell Reserve, Auckland.[5][6]

  1. ^ www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/dell
  2. ^ a b "Dell Definition & Meaning". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  3. ^ John Richard Clark Hall, A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary
  4. ^ "dingle". Merriam Webster. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  5. ^ "Dingle Dell, Sevenoaks". The Ordnance Survey. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Wilcox, M (2013). "Flora of dingle dell reserve, St Heliers". Auckland Botanical Society Journal. 68 (2): 118–132. Archived from the original on 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2020-07-27.