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Glite Dictionary
🌄 A steep gully 🏕️ A portable shelter 🏘️ A Nigerian town
donga

donga

1 9.9
A deep gully made by water after heavy rain
  • noun
  • South African
: donga
  • The steep walls of the donga made it difficult for the animals to escape.

Examples

  • It can't be, he thought; then he once again knelt down and stared into the donga.

    Academic text (2008)

  • We found several interesting plants growing in the dry donga after the recent rain.

  • As we walked along the path, we stumbled upon a hidden donga filled with lush vegetation.

Synonyms

nullah
vsdonga
  • Indian
1 9.9

A steep narrow valley that is usually dry but fills with water in heavy rain

is similar but does not imply seasonal dryness
chine
vsdonga
  • UK
1 9.6

A steep narrow valley or gully that leads down to the sea

is similar but not limited to coastal locations

How Deep

canyon
246 2.5
to ravine
1 9.9
donga
  • South African
1 9.9
gully
21 4.7
rill
2 8.6

Surface Forms

donga singular
dongas plural

Etymology

Donga for a steep-sided gully comes from a South African word udonga meaning 'wall' or 'bank', because the gully has steep sides like walls. That is why a donga is a deep, eroded channel you must be careful near.