Dell

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dÉ›l/
• Rhymes: -É›l

Origin

From Middle English delle, from Old English *dell ("small dale"), from Proto-Germanic *daljō ("a hollow, abyss"), diminutive of Proto-Germanic *dalą ("valley, dale"), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰol-, *dʰel- ("an arch, vaulting, curve, curvature, cavity"). Cognate with Dutch del ("a dell"), German dialectal Telle ("a hollow").

Full definition of dell

Noun

1. valley
• 1794, William Blake, , lines 49-50To this day they dwellIn a lonely dell.
• TickellIn dells and dales, concealed from human sight.
2. (obsolete) A young woman; a wench.
• Ben JonsonSweet doxies and dells.

Synonyms

• dale
• dingle
• vale
• valley