What does doline mean?
A doline is a natural, enclosed depression in the ground, typically circular or bowl-shaped, that forms in landscapes underlain by soluble rock such as limestone. It develops when rainwater, slightly acidic from dissolved carbon dioxide, slowly eats away at the bedrock along joints and fractures, either dissolving the surface downward to create a shallow dish or undermining it until the roof of an underground cavity collapses. Dolines range from a few metres to hundreds of metres across and are the most characteristic feature of karst topography, often occurring in dense clusters that give terrain a pitted, swiss-cheese appearance. In everyday language people usually say 'sinkhole', but scientists favour 'doline' for precision, distinguishing types such as solution dolines and collapse dolines. Because their floors can trap soil and moisture, dolines often support distinctive vegetation and have historically been valued as small pockets of arable land.
nounA shallow, bowl-shaped depression in the ground formed by the collapse or dissolution of surface rock, especially limestone, in karst landscapes.
- A closed, basin-shaped hollow in karst terrain, formed by the dissolution of soluble rock or by the collapse of a subsurface cavity.
"The limestone plateau was pocked with dozens of dolines, each sheltering its own microclimate of ferns and mosses."
"Rainwater percolating through the limestone gradually widened the fracture until the surface subsided into a doline."
"Farmers in the Dinaric Alps have long cultivated the fertile floors of dolines, where soil collects and moisture lingers."
Regular English plural; standard in all registers where the word appears.
"The aerial survey mapped over two hundred dolines scattered across the plateau."
'Doline' comes from a Slovene word meaning 'little valley' — geologists borrowed it because these gentle-looking hollows are actually the signature landform of collapsing limestone terrain.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of doline
The word 'doline' entered scientific English in the late nineteenth century, borrowed from Slovene 'dolina', meaning 'valley' or 'hollow', which itself derives from the Slavic root 'dol-', denoting a low place. Geologists studying the classic karst landscapes of the Slovenian region adopted the local term for the area's signature depressions, and it spread through European geomorphological literature. The same ancient Indo-European root that gave Slavic its 'dol-' also lies behind Germanic words such as English 'dale' and 'dell', making them distant relatives.
How doline is actually used
A technical term used chiefly in geomorphology, physical geography, and caving literature; in general speech 'sinkhole' is far more common. The word carries no figurative or informal use.
Easily confused with doline
A sinkhole is the general everyday term for such a depression, while 'doline' is the more technical geomorphological term used especially in karst science.