gill

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“
At a very early stage we notice in the embryo of man and the other amniotes, at each side of the head, the remarkable and important structures which we call the gill-arches and gill-clefts (Figures 1.167 to 1.170 f).

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Definitions (52)

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  1. noun Zoology The respiratory organ of most aquatic animals that breathe water to obtain oxygen, consisting of a filamentous structure of vascular membranes across which dissolved gases are exchanged.
  2. noun The wattle of a bird. Often used in the plural.
  3. noun Informal The area around the chin and neck.
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Examples (50)

  • How they enjoyed the scramble up the gill, the fun bubbling up constantly, the manner in which the fathers and mothers shared in the children's play; the running and singing and laughter; the dainty meal of cake and chicken and strawberries with rich cream, dispensed--after a very un-English but wholly satisfactory manner--in heaped platefuls! —  Viking Boys
  • But he has still to show that Annelids possess at least the rudiments of certain organs which seem to be peculiar to Vertebrates, as the gill-slits, the notochord, and a nervous system developed from the ectoderm of the "dorsal" surface. —  Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology
  • Before the last time harrowing, apply about 250 or 300 lbs of guano to the acre, sown broadcast, and then mark out with plow or lace, about four and a half feet apart, each way; apply a small quantity to the hill, one third of a gill is as much as will be safe, and that should be in the form of a ring about a foot in diameter, and the corn dropped in the center, otherwise it will be likely to kill the corn by the sprouts coming in contact with the guano when they first start. —  Guano A Treatise of Practical Information for Farmers
  • The workman should have ready at the same time a preparation of linseed-oil and essence of turpentine (linseed-oil one gill, and essence of turpentine one teaspoonful), a portion of which should be freely taken up with a piece of soft flannel and well rubbed into the work. —  French Polishing and Enamelling A Practical Work of Instruction
  • I only said a gill, my good hostess; bring me a gill--but I forget--I believe you have no such measure in this country; bring me a pint, then Nancy now went into the bar, whither she gave Ned a wink to follow her; and truly was glad of an opportunity of escaping from the presence of the visitor. —  The Ned M'Keown Stories Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three
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Etymologies (11)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. Middle English gile, of Scandinavian origin.
  2. Middle English gille, from Old French, wine measure, from Late Latin gillō, vessel for cooling liquids.
  3. Middle English gille, from Old Norse gil.
  4. Middle English gille, from Gille, a woman's name.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (7)

  1. from Middle English gile, gylle, from Danish gjœlle = Swedish gäal, a gill, = Icelandic gjölnar, plural, gills (commonly tālkn); cf. dial, ginner, also ginnle, gill, apparently connected with Icelandic gin, the mouth of a beast, which, with gil, a ravine (English gill), and perhaps gjölnar, gills, may be referred to the root ✓ *gin, *gi) of gin, ′begin, yawn, chasm, chaos, etc.: see gin, begin, yawn, etc. Cf. Gaelic gial, giall, a jaw, cheek, gill of a fish.
  2. from gill, n.
  3. Sometimes romantically spelled ghyll in place-names; from Middle English gille, gylle, a glen, from Icelandic gil, a deep narrow glen, with a stream at the bottom; cf. geil, a ravine: see gill.
  4. English dial., origin unknown.
  5. Also jill; from Middle English gille, gylle, jille, from Old French gelle, a sort of measure for wine; cf. Middle Latin gilla, a wine-vessel, gello, a wine-vessel, a wine-measure, etc.; perhaps from the same ult. source as gallon, q. v.
  6. Also jill; from Middle English Jille, Gille, Jylle, Gylle, a familiar abbreviation of Gillian, a familiar name for a girl: see gillian. The name Gill or Jill was so common as to become almost generic, equivalent to ‘girl’ or ‘young woman,’ as Jack, equivalent to ‘boy’ or ‘young man,’ both terms being often used in depreciation or contempt.
  7. Compare gillie.
 

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