A small stream or creek, especially a dry bed that fills with water after heavy rain in arid regions.
From Spanish 'arroya,' which comes from Latin 'arrolus,' possibly related to 'rivus' (stream). The Spanish term was adopted into English through contact with Spanish-speaking regions of North America.
Arroya is one of those borrowed words from Spanish that perfectly describes a landscape feature unique to desert regions—sudden flash floods in dry streambeds are so dramatic that they needed their own word!
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