Cleuch

/kluːx/ or /klʌx/ noun

Definition

A deep ravine, gorge, or narrow valley, especially in Scottish usage.

Etymology

From Old English clūh or related Germanic roots meaning a narrow passage or valley. It appears in place names throughout Scotland and Northern England, predating modern English.

Kelly Says

Cleuch appears in hundreds of Scottish place names—names like Hexhamcleuch—and these ancient geographic markers show how the Scots precisely described their dramatic landscape in just one word.

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