Sike-Hole
/ˈsaɪkˌhəʊl/noun
A deep pool or hollow in, or beside, a small stream, chiefly in northern English and Scots dialects.
Did you know?In northern English landscape vocabulary, a “sike” is a small stream or drainage channel, preserving an old Germanic word rarely heard in standard English today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*sīką
“A small stream, ditch, or watercourse”
Old Norse
Old Norse
sík
“A ditch, rill, or small stream”
Old English
Old English
sīc
“A small stream or stream-channel”
Middle English
Middle English
sike
“A stream, brook, or marshy watercourse”
Early Modern English
English dialect
sike-hole
“A hole or deep pool associated with a small stream”
Modern English
English dialect
sike-hole
“A deep pool or hollow in or beside a sike”