runnel
Syllables: run·nel/ˈɹʌnəl/
runnel noun: a small stream, a rivulet.
Noun
runnel (plural runnels)
- A small stream, a rivulet.
- Spring, is ye comen in, / Dappled larke singe, / Snow melteth, / Runnel pelteth, / Smelleth wind of newe buddinge.1892 March, “Mother Talks—A Spring Walk”, in Cora L. Stockham, Andrea Hofer, editors, The Kindergarten Magazine […], volume IV, number VII, Chicago, Ill.: Kindergarten Publishing Company, →OCLC, page...
- Every little runnel in the bay was astir, and yet the land around him was as dry as flax, and no drop of rain had fallen.1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
- A small artificial channel for water to flow in.
- Still lower down the slope, on a staircase by the Eastern Bastion, there is an elaborate piece of hydraulic science for checking the flow of water. A stone runnel is made to descend the stairs in a series of parabolic curves which would subject the water to friction, and thus reduce its velocity...1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page 9
Verb
runnel (third-person singular simple present runnels, present participle (US) runneling or (UK) runnelling, simple past and past participle (US) runneled or (UK) runnelled)
- To create channels for directing the flow of liquid.
- Not all saltmarshes are suited to habitat modification, but where they are, runnelling provides long-term and cost-effective control with minor non-target impacts.2009, Neil Saintilan, Australian Saltmarsh Ecology, →ISBN, page 176
- The people who settled here weren’t farmers. They hunted. Yet they built a large amphitheater of mud, a platform carefully runneled to carry liquid—possibly blood.2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text
runnel meaning in Tamil
runnel in Tamil
- அருவி, நீரோடை
Forms of runnel
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | runnels |
| alternative form | rinel |
| alternative form | rindle |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | runnels |
| present participle US | runneling |
| present participle UK | runnelling |
| past participle US | runneled |
| past US | runneled |
| past participle UK | runnelled |
| past UK | runnelled |
Origin of runnel
From Middle English runel, rennel, rinel, from Old English rynel (“that which runs; runner; stream”), from Proto-Germanic *runilaz, equivalent to run + -el. Cognate with Scots rinel, rinnal (“stream; runnel”), Swedish rännel (“runner; runnel”).
Words that rhyme with runnel
Questions about runnel
- What does runnel mean?
- Runnel means a small stream, a rivulet.
- What is runnel in Tamil?
- Runnel in Tamil is அருவி, நீரோடை. See Runnel meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is runnel?
- Runnel can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce runnel?
- Runnel is pronounced /ˈɹʌnəl/.
- What is the plural of runnel?
- The plural of runnel is runnels.
Words near runnel in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: runnel (page history and authors); runnel (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-runnel.wav.
Cite this entry: “runnel.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/runnel. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.