A ditch, drainage channel, or small watercourse; a dialectal or archaic term for a groove or furrow.
From Old English and Germanic roots related to digging and channels. Related to words like groove and possibly Dutch groof.
This word almost disappeared but survives in place names and rural dialects—a perfect example of how 'dead' words stay alive in geography and specialized communities!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.