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runnel

runnel

1 8.2
A small narrow stream of water that flows across the land
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌnəl/
translation icon : canalillo
  • In the mountains, the air was cold, the dirt road still hard, but runnels trickled in the drainage ditches from the hours of high sun warming the snow.
  • runnels of rain
  • little runnels

Examples

  • After the rain, small runnels formed in the dirt, channeling water toward the garden.

  • As I walked along the trail, I noticed a runnel that had been carved by years of flowing water.

  • "By a tiny runnel, off the way

  • " It creates an easy runnel.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The sun traced bright runnels of sweat down his cheek.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The shaft grew damper as he descended, until the water flowed in runnels along the walls.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Rain streamed from the highway to carve twisted runnels in the graveled berm.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The children played near a runnel, watching the water flow and imagining it was a river.

Synonyms

stream
vsrunnel
244 1.0

A small, narrow flow of water on the ground

is narrower and more passage-like rather than a general natural body
channel
vsrunnel
57 3.8

A deep narrow waterway that ships can use

is a small narrow natural hollow, not usually deep or artificial
run
vsrunnel
  • US
37 4.5

A small fast stream of water in the countryside

is similar but does not focus on speed or quick movement
rivulet
vsrunnel
5 7.7

A very small stream of water

is a small narrow hollow carrying water rather than an especially tiny course
rill
vsrunnel
3 8.6

A tiny stream of water that flows across the ground

is a small narrow hollow that carries water slightly larger in use
streamlet
vsrunnel
7.3

A small narrow stream of water like a tiny brook

is used for any small narrow channel or flow, not only tiny ones

How Big

rill
3 8.6
runnel
1 8.2
brook
23 1.0
stream
244 1.0
river
1.0

Surface Forms

runnel singular
runnels plural

Morphology

runnel = run (semi-transparent) = run + el

The word is formed from 'run' + a diminutive suffix '-el', but '-el' is an archaic/rare diminutive not productive in modern English, so learners may not reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word runnel comes from the old English root run, meaning 'to run', plus the small ending -el that makes something little. So, a runnel is like a 'little run' of water, a narrow channel where water runs.