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, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
An Alpine newt larva showing the gills, which flare just behind the head.
Mushroom gills.
Etymology 1
From Middle English gille , gylle ( “ gill ” ) , of North Germanic origin, akin to Danish gælle , Swedish gäl , Norwegian gjelle , and further to Old Norse gjǫlnar ( “ lips ” ) , which also may have had the meaning of "gills" (based on Old Danish fiskegæln ( “ gills ” ) ). The Old Norse word has been suggested as deriving from Proto-Germanic *gelunō ( “ jaw ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- , which would make it root-cognate to Ancient Greek χελύνη ( khelúnē , “ lip, jaw ” ) , χεῖλος ( kheîlos , “ lip ” ) .
Displaced native Old English ċīe .
Pronunciation
Noun
gill (plural gills )
( zootomy ) A breathing organ of fish and other aquatic animals.
1691 , John Ray , The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation. , London: Samuel Smith, , →OCLC :Fishes [ …] perform their respiration under water by the gills .
( of a fish ) A gill slit or gill cover .
Gill nets are designed to catch a fish by the gills .
( mycology ) One of the radial folds on the underside of the cap of a mushroom , the surface of which bears the spore -producing organs.
Synonym: lamella
( animal anatomy ) The fleshy flap that hangs below the beak of a fowl ; a wattle .
( figuratively ) The flesh under or about the chin ; a wattle.
( spinning ) One of the combs of closely ranged steel pins which divide the ribbons of flax fiber or wool into fewer parallel filaments.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
breathing organ of fish
Afrikaans: kieu , kief
Aklanon: hasang
Albanian: verzë (sq) f
Arabic: خَيْشُوم m ( ḵayšūm ) , نَخْشُوش m ( naḵšūš ) , غَلْصَمَة f ( ḡalṣama )
Armenian: խռիկ (hy) ( xṙik )
Assamese: ফুল ( phul ) , কল ( kol )
Azerbaijani: qəlsəmə (az)
Bashkir: айғолаҡ ( ayğolaq )
Basque: zakatz
Bau Bidayuh: sangap
Belarusian: шчэ́лепы pl ( ščéljepy ) , жа́бры pl ( žábry )
Bengali: ফুলকা (bn) ( phuloka )
Betawi: angsang
Bikol Central: asang (bcl)
Breton: brenk (br) m , skouarn (br) f
Bulgarian: хри́ле (bg) pl ( hríle )
Burmese: ပါးဟက် (my) ( pa:hak )
Catalan: brànquia f
Cebuano: hasang
Central Melanau: aseang
Chamorro: guasang
Chinese:
Mandarin: 鰓 / 鳃 (zh) ( sāi )
Cornish: brynk ( collective ) , brynken f
Czech: žábry pl
Danish: gælle (da) c
Dutch: kieuw (nl) f
Erzya: зебра ( źebra )
Esperanto: branko
Estonian: lõpused (et)
Faroese: tákn f
Finnish: kidus (fi) , kidukset (fi) pl
French: branchie (fr) f , ouïe (fr) f
Galician: guerla (gl) f , branquia (gl) f , gala (gl) f
Georgian: ლაყუჩები ( laq̇učebi ) , ლაყუჩი ( laq̇uči )
German: Kieme (de) f
Greek: βράγχιο (el) n ( vránchio )
Ancient: βράγχιον n ( bránkhion )
Gujarati: ચૂંઈ f ( cū̃ī )
Hebrew: זים (he) m ( zim )
Hindi: गलफड़ा (hi) ? ( galaphṛā )
Hungarian: kopoltyú (hu)
Iban: ansang
Icelandic: tálkn n
Ilocano: asang
Indonesian: insang (id)
Ingrian: žaabrat pl , sokka sg
Irish: geolbhach m
Italian: branchia (it) f
Japanese: えら (ja) ( era ) , 鰓 (ja) ( えら, era ) , 腮 (ja) ( えら, era ) , 顋 (ja) ( えら, era )
Kapampangan: asang
Kazakh: желбезек ( jelbezek )
Khmer: តើក (km) ( taək )
Kimaragang: tangas
Korean: 아가미 (ko) ( agami )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: avesîhk f
Kyrgyz: бакалоор (ky) ( bakaloor )
Lao: ເງີບ ( ngœ̄p ) , ກີ ( kī ) , ນາມ ( nām ) , ເກ ( kē )
Latin: branchia f
Latvian: žaunas pl
Linngithigh: amogh
Livonian: žnougõd pl
Macedonian: жа́бра f ( žábra ) , шкрга f ( škrga )
Malay: insang (ms)
Mansaka: asang
Maori: pihapiha
Maranao: asang
Mari:
Eastern Mari: ношмо ( nošmo )
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norman: dginne f ( Jersey )
Norwegian:
Bokmål: gjelle m or f
Nynorsk: gjelle f
Occitan: brànquia f , gaunha (oc) f
Old English: ċīe f
Persian: آبشش (fa) ( âb-šoš )
Polish: skrzele (pl) n
Portuguese: brânquia (pt) f , guelra (pt) f
Romanian: branhie (ro) f
Romansch: brantscha f
Russian: жа́бры (ru) f pl ( žábry )
Scottish Gaelic: giùran m
Sebop: penga'am
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: шкр̏га f
Roman: škȓgā (sh) f
Slovak: žiabre pl
Slovene: škrge (sl) pl
Spanish: agalla (es) f , branquia (es) f
Swedish: gäl (sv) c
Tagal Murut: asang
Tagalog: hasang , agalya
Tajik: ғалсама ( ġalsama )
Tausug: hasang
Thai: เหงือก (th) ( ngʉ̀ʉak )
Turkish: solungaç (tr)
Turkmen: žabra
Ukrainian: зя́бра pl ( zjábra ) , жа́бри pl ( žábry )
Urdu: گلپهڑا ? ( galaphṛā )
Uzbek: oyquloq (uz)
Vietnamese: mang (vi)
Volapük: ciel (vo)
Welsh: tagell f , crogen f , cragen (cy) f
West Coast Bajau: asang
fleshy flap that hangs below the beak of a fowl
— see wattle
flesh under or about the chin
— see wattle
See also
Verb
gill (third-person singular simple present gills , present participle gilling , simple past and past participle gilled )
To remove the gills from a fish as part of gutting and cleaning it.
1948 , Oliver Hazard Perry Rodman, The Saltwater Fisherman's Favorite Four , page 166 :As we had fish home in the icebox, when Bill led the fish up alongside, I leaned over the combing, gilled the fish with my fingers, slid out the hook and let go. The bass lay there for a moment, tired from the arch of the rod and the pull of the line.
2014 , Scott Tippett, Polaris , →ISBN , page 99 :She gutted and gilled the fish, then scaled it.
( transitive ) To catch (a fish) in a gillnet .
1898 , Report of the Commissioner of Fisheries to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor , page 255 :Owing to the peculiar shape of the pompano and the relatively large mesh in the pompano gill nets, the fish are not caught by being actually gilled .
1971 , Michael Culley, G. A. Kerkut, The Pilchard: Biology and Exploitation →ISBN , page 70:
In cases of very heavy catches the nets may be hauled and stored with the fish still gilled . The fish would then be shaken out on return to the port.
1994 , G.D. Pickett, M.G. Pawson, Sea Bass: Biology , →ISBN , page 177 :The intention is to gill the fish, so they are usually scared into the net by rowing one boat into the middle of the net circle and banging the oars on the boat bottom or splashing the water.
( intransitive ) To be or become entangled in a gillnet .
1926 , Walter Koelz, Fishing industry of the Great Lakes , page 556 :Since the fine threads of the net usually are caught under the gill covers of the fish they are said to be "gilled ."
2010 , Edward A. Perrine, Midnight Tracy , →ISBN , page 147 :Also, when fish gilled there wasn't as much extra twine to tangle in, so they were easier to release from the net.
Etymology 2
From Middle English gille , from Old French gille ( “ a wine measure ” ) , from Medieval Latin gillo ( “ earthenware jar ” ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
gill (plural gills )
A drink measure for spirits and wine , approximately a quarter of a pint, but varying regionally.
( archaic , British ) A measuring jug holding a quarter or half a pint.
( dated , US ) A unit of measure equal to 4 US fluid ounces (half a cup , a quarter of a US pint ), approximately 118 milliliters .
Derived terms
Etymology 3
From Middle English gille , from Old Norse gil .
Pronunciation
Noun
gill (plural gills )
( British ) Rivulet , small stream.
( British ) Ravine .
Derived terms
Etymology 4
Uncertain.
Noun
gill (plural gills )
A two-wheeled frame for transporting timber.
Etymology 5
Clipping of gillian , from the female name Gillian .
Pronunciation
Noun
gill (plural gills )
A female ferret .
( obsolete ) A promiscuous woman; harlot , wanton .
( obsolete ) A prostitute .
1646 , Humphrey Mill, “Section XXI”, in The Nights Search, Part 2 , page 129 :Gill comes from the Knight, that did so seek / To gaine her love; she's hir'd for a week.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Verb
gill (third-person singular simple present gills , present participle gilling , simple past and past participle gilled )
( obsolete ) To act as a prostitute.
1719 , Henry Playford , “Lewis Upon the Fret”, in Wit and Mirth: Or, Pills to Purge Melancholy , page 72 :Comme proprement le fine of my Designs dey make; / Dam gilling Whore / Et Louis d'or
Synonyms
Irish
Noun
gill m
vocative / genitive singular of geall ( “ pledge, security; wager, bet; gage, challenge; palm, prize; supremacy; token, promise; assets ” )
Mutation
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
Scots
Etymology 1
From Middle English gille , from Old French gille ( “ a wine measure ” ) , from Medieval Latin gillo ( “ earthenware jar ” ) . Compare English gill .
Noun
gill (plural gills )
a measure of liquid equivalent to one-fourth of a mutchkin or three quarters of an Imperial gill , about 110 millilitres ; ( by extension ) a serving of drink
1864 , James Patterson, Reminiscences of Auld Ayr , page 101 :[ …] it will be strange if you and me part dry mouthed ; mony a gill I’ve got frae you ; it’s my turn this time.(please add an English translation of this quotation)
a vessel with a capacity of one gill
Derived terms
Verb
gill (third-person singular simple present gills , present participle gilling , simple past gill'd , past participle gill'd )
to drink , tipple
Etymology 2
From Old Norse gil , Norwegian gjel ( “ gorge, ravine ” ) , attested a. 1500.
Noun
gill (plural gills )
a narrow valley with steep sides, a gully
References
Scottish Gaelic
Noun
gill m
inflection of geall ( “ bet, wager ” ) :
vocative / genitive singular
nominative / dative plural
Mutation
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Swedish
Etymology
Inherited from Old Norse gildr , from Proto-Germanic *gildiz .
Adjective
gill (not comparable )
( in "(tredje) gången gillt" ) (third) time's the charm , (third) time lucky
Nähä, inte tredje gången gillt . Fjärde gången gillt kanske? Well, third time apparently wasn' t the charm . Fourth time lucky , maybe?
( in compounds ) valid , fulfilling all requirements
( in compounds ) appropriate , as it should be
Declension
Inflection of gill
Indefinite
positive
comparative
superlative1
common singular
gill
—
—
neuter singular
gillt
—
—
plural
gilla
—
—
masculine plural2
gille
—
—
Definite
positive
comparative
superlative
masculine singular3
gille
—
—
all
gilla
—
—
1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.2 Dated or archaic.3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
Derived terms
References