What does "swale" mean?
A low tract of moist or marshy land.
Swale
/sweɪl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A low tract of moist or marshy land.
- Grammar: swale is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bioswale, bog, bottom, bottomland.
- Useful contrasts: bare channel, high ground, hill.
- Usage evidence: The gravelly area around Curiosity's landing site is in the foreground. Beyond the swale is the red-brown rim of an impact crater. Further in the distance, there are dark dunes and the layered rock at the base of Mount Sharp.
How to use "swale"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swale" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "swale" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "swale" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "swale" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "swale" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bioswale" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "swale", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A low tract of moist or marshy land.
- 2 A gutter in a candle. UK, dialectal
- 3 a low area (especially a marshy area between ridges) wordnet
- 4 A long narrow and shallow trough between ridges on a beach, running parallel to the coastline.
- 5 A shallow troughlike depression created to carry water during rainstorms or snow melts; a drainage ditch.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Bioswale, a shallow trough dug into the land on contour (horizontally with no slope), whose purpose is to allow water time to percolate into the soil.
"The stored water creates an underground reservoir that aids plant growth for tens of feet below the swale. Swales also prevent gullies from forming by intercepting rainwater, slowing it, spreading it, and storing it in the soil."
- 7 A shallow, usually grassy depression sloping downward from a plains upland meadow or level vegetated ridgetop.
"Jane climbed a few more paces behind him and then peeped over the ridge. Just beyond began a shallow swale that deepened and widened into a valley, and then swung to the left."
Verb
- 1 Alternative form of sweal (“melt and waste away, or singe”). alt-of, alternative
Proper Noun
- 1 A river, a tributary of the Ure in North Yorkshire, England.
- 2 A strait between the Isle of Sheppey and the Kentish mainland; in full, The Swale.
- 3 A local government district with borough status in Kent, England, created in 1974 with its headquarters in Sittingbourne and named after the channel.
Example
"The gravelly area around Curiosity's landing site is in the foreground. Beyond the swale is the red-brown rim of an impact crater. Further in the distance, there are dark dunes and the layered rock at the base of Mount Sharp."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swale"?
Common synonyms include: bioswale, bog, bottom, bottomland, campo, depression.
How do you use "swale" in a sentence?
The gravelly area around Curiosity's landing site is in the foreground. Beyond the swale is the red-brown rim of an impact crater. Further in the distance, there are dark dunes and the layered rock at the base of Mount Sharp.
How do you pronounce "swale"?
Pronounced /sweɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Possibly from Middle English swale (“a shady place, a shadow”), perhaps of North Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse svalr (“cool, fresh”), Icelandic svalir (“a balcony running along a wall”).
Etymology 2
See sweal.
Etymology 3
From Old English *swalwe (“rushing water”), which could be related to swealwe. Also compare the proper noun Swallow.