What does rill mean?
A rill is a small, narrow stream, especially one running through grass, woodland, or uneven ground. The word has a quiet, descriptive quality and often suggests a delicate natural feature rather than a major river. In British and American English, it is understood but relatively uncommon, with brook, creek, and stream serving as more familiar alternatives. It can also refer by extension to a narrow channel carrying a small flow of water. As a verb, rill means to flow in a small stream or like one, but this use is chiefly literary. The word is related to several Germanic cognates and appears to have entered English from Dutch. Although “little stream” is a familiar modern description, rill is especially useful in descriptions of landscapes, nature writing, and carefully observed prose because it conveys both small scale and flowing movement.
A small, narrow stream, especially one flowing through a landscape or down a slope; by extension, a narrow channel carrying a small flow of water.
"The hillside was covered with moss, and a tiny rill crossed the trail."
The noun is literary and descriptive rather than everyday in most contexts.
To flow as or in a small stream.
"Water rilled down the rocky channel after the thaw."
This is a literary and relatively uncommon use.
The standard plural is formed by adding -s.
"Several rills joined to form a shallow stream."
A rill is a stream in miniature: its name derives from a diminutive meaning “little stream.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rill come from?
The English word rill appeared in the early 17th century and is generally traced to Middle Dutch rille, a diminutive associated with a Germanic word for a stream. Its cognates include German Rille, Danish rille, and Swedish ryll, illustrating the word's long history within Germanic languages. English later extended the word figuratively to describe narrow channels and, as a verb, flowing water.
Related word forms
How rill is actually used
As a noun, rill is somewhat literary and descriptive; stream, brook, and creek are more common in ordinary British and American English. The verb is literary and much less frequent than the noun.