English

Noun

swale ‎(plural swales)

1. A low tract of moist or marshy land.
2. A long narrow and shallow trough between ridges on a beach, running parallel to the coastline.
3. A shallow troughlike depression that's created to carry water during rainstorms or snow melts; a drainage ditch.
4. A shallow, usually grassy depression sloping downward from a plains upland meadow or level vegetated ridgetop.
   • 1912, Zane Grey, Riders of the Purple Sage, Chapter 6

     Jane climbed a few more paces behind him and then peeped over the ridge. Just beyond began a shallow swale that deepened and widened into a valley, and then swung to the left.

5. A shallow trough dug into the land on contour (horizontally with no slope). Its purpose being to allow water time to percolate into the soil.

Translations

Etymology 2

See sweal.

Noun

swale ‎(plural swales)

1. (Britain, dialect) A gutter in a candle.

Verb

swale ‎(third-person singular simple present swales, present participle swaling, simple past and past participle swaled)

1. Alternative form of sweal (melt and waste away, or singe)

Anagrams

• lawes, sweal, Wales, wales, weals