A narrow ravine or streambed, especially in northern England; a small valley with a stream running through it.
From Old Norse 'gil,' meaning ravine or valley. The word is particularly common in English place names and dialects of northern England, Scotland, and Scandinavia, reflecting Viking settlement patterns.
English geography is written in Viking words—'ghyll' appears in hundreds of place names in the Lake District and Yorkshire ('Rydal Ghyll,' 'Gatesgarth Ghyll'), showing where Scandinavian settlers lived and how they described the landscape.
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