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Gill

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gill¹

  • /ɡɪl/

Sounds like ghyll · Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

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.

noun gills

  1. A breathing organ of fish and other aquatic animals. Fishes […] perform their respiration under water by the gills.
  2. A gill slit or gill cover. Gill nets are designed to catch a fish by the gills.
  3. One of the radial folds on the underside of the cap of a mushroom, the surface of which bears the spore-producing organs.
  4. The fleshy flap that hangs below the beak of a fowl; a wattle.
  5. figuratively The flesh under or about the chin; a wattle. dropsy fills you to the gills
  6. One of the combs of closely ranged steel pins which divide the ribbons of flax fiber or wool into fewer parallel filaments.

Similar: branchia

verb gills · gilling · gilled

  1. To remove the gills from a fish as part of gutting and cleaning it. 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.
  2. transitive To catch (a fish) in a gillnet. 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.
  3. intransitive To be or become entangled in a gillnet. Since the fine threads of the net usually are caught under the gill covers of the fish they are said to be "gilled."

gill²

  • /d͡ʒɪl/

Sounds like Jill · Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English gille, from Old French gille (“a wine measure”), from Medieval Latin gillo (“earthenware jar”).

noun gills

  1. A drink measure for spirits and wine, a quarter of an imperial pint or near to that amount, but varying regionally.
  2. US, dated A unit of measure equal to 4 US fluid ounces (half a cup, a quarter of a US pint), approximately 118 milliliters.
  3. UK, archaic A measuring jug holding a quarter or half a pint.

gill³

  • /ɡɪl/

Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English gille, from Old Norse gil.

noun gills · ghyll

  1. UK A rivulet, small stream.
  2. UK A ravine.

gill⁴

Where it comes from

Uncertain.

noun gills

  1. A two-wheeled frame for transporting timber.

gill⁵

  • /d͡ʒɪl/

Where it comes from

Clipping of gillian, from the female name Gillian.

noun gills

  1. alternative Alternative form of jill (“a female ferret”).jill
  2. obsolete A promiscuous woman; harlot, wanton.
  3. obsolete A prostitute. Gill comes from the Knight, that did so seek / To gaine her love; she's hir'd for a week.
  4. obsolete gill-over-the-ground: ground ivy.
  5. obsolete gill-ale: an ale made with ground ivy among its ingredients.

verb gills · gilling · gilled

  1. obsolete To act as a prostitute. Comme proprement le fine of my Designs dey make; / Dam gilling Whore / Et Louis d'or

Gill⁶

  • /ˈd͡ʒɪl/
  • /ˈɡɪl/

Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, converged from variants of Giles (sometimes through Dutch), Julian, and William.

* As a northern English surname, from Middle English gil (“ravine, glen”), from Old Norse gil. The Old Norse is also a source of the Norwegian surname.

* As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, variant of McGill.

* Also as an Irish surname, variant of Gall.

* As a Jewish/Israeli given name, as well as surname, from Hebrew גיל (“joy”).

* As a German surname, variant of Gilger.

* As a Sikh Punjabi surname originating in India, from ਗਿੱਲ (gill, “moisture”).

proper noun

  1. A Scottish and Northern English habitational surname from Old Norse for someone who lived near a gill.
  2. A Scottish and Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic [in turn originating as a patronymic], an alternate anglicization of Mac an Ghoill (McGill).
  3. A diminutive of the male given names Giles, Julian, and William, of medieval usage.
  4. A diminutive of the female given name Gillian, variant of Jill. each Jack with his Gill
  5. A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.
  6. An unincorporated community in Weld County, Colorado; named for early landowner William H. Gill.
  7. A township in Sullivan County, Indiana.
  8. A township in Clay County, Kansas.
  9. A town in Franklin County, Massachusetts; named for Massachusetts politician Moses Gill.
  10. An unincorporated community in Harrison County, Texas.
  11. An unincorporated community in Lincoln County, West Virginia; named for an early postmaster.
  12. A ghost town in Harding County, South Dakota; named for early postmaster Carl M. Gilberg.
  13. A surname from Punjabi from ਗਿੱਲ (gilla).

noun Gills

  1. Someone connected with Gillingham Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc.

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