bourne
- noun
- /bɔrn/
- Archaic
:
arroyo
- The hikers were delighted to find a bourne bubbling up in the valley after the spring thaw.
Examples
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Children often played by the bourne when it had enough water to float their boats.
-
But that the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns.
Blog text (17) -
During the dry season, the little bourne behind our house hardly flows at all.
Synonyms
244
1.0
A small, narrow flow of water on the ground
126
1.4
A small natural stream of water that often flows into a river
37
4.5
A small fast stream of water in the countryside
23
1.0
A small stream of water that flows in fields or woods
5
7.7
A very small stream of water
4
8.5
A small stream of water, especially in northern England and Scotland
3
8.6
A tiny stream of water that flows across the ground
A small narrow stream of water like a tiny brook
A very small stream that flows through a field or woods
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word bourne meaning 'a small stream' comes from an old English word burna meaning 'stream' and is like the Scottish word burn for a little brook, so a 'bourne' is literally a small, sometimes seasonal, flowing stream.