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gulch. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
gulch, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
gulch in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
gulch you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From earlier gulsh (“sink in, gush out”), from Middle English gulchen (“to gulp, spew”), probably from the source of gulp. Likely not related to gully (“ravine formed by water”) despite the similarities.
Pronunciation
Verb
gulch (third-person singular simple present gulches, present participle gulching, simple past and past participle gulched)
- (obsolete) To swallow greedily; to gulp down.
- (obsolete) To fall heavily.
Derived terms
Noun
gulch (plural gulches)
- A ravine-like or deep V-shaped valley, often eroded by flash floods; shallower than a canyon and deeper than a gully.
1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), page 47:"A crack is progressing up through the Goldminers' apartment. They are most disturbed by the appearance of this gulch in their wall since it undermines their confidence in the structure of the building which as you know my management has taken great care to keep sound and durable."
- (obsolete) An act of gulching or gulping.
- (obsolete) A glutton.
1601, Ben Jonson, The Poetaster, act 3, scene 1:You did not! where was your sight, Œdipus? you walk with hare's eyes, do you? I'll have them glazed, rogue; an you say the word, they shall be glazed for you: come we must have you turn fiddler again, slave, get a base viol at your back, and march in a tawney coat, with one sleeve, to Goose-fair; then you'll know us, you'll see us then, you will, gulch, you will.
Derived terms
Translations
act of gulping
— see gulp
References
- Whitney, William Dwight, ed., The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, New York: The Century Co., 1902.
- ^ Linguistic Studies in Germanic. (1915). United States: University of Chicago Press., p. 37