Swale
/sweɪl/noun
A low or hollow tract of land, especially one that is moist or marshy.
Did you know?Swale is an old English landscape word, and its deep ancestor is the same root behind *swallow*, originally tied to the idea of a “hollow” or “gullet” that takes things in.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swel-
“to swell, bulge, or form a hollow/swelling”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*swelaz
“a hollow, depression, or trough”
Old English
OE
swǣle
“a low, marshy place; a hollow or trough”
Middle English
ME
swale
“a low tract of land, often wet or boggy”
Modern English
English
swale
“a low or hollow tract of land, especially one that is moist or marshy”
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