runnel

/ˈɹʌnəl/

Etymology

From Middle English runel, rennel, rinel, from Old English rynel (“that which runs; runner; stream”), from Proto-Germanic *runilaz, equivalent to run + -el. Cognate with Scots rinel, rinnal (“stream; runnel”), Swedish rännel (“runner; runnel”).

runnel means A small stream, a rivulet. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.

runnel is pronounced /ˈɹʌnəl/.

Why “runnel” is a great word

RUNNEL — [Noun] A small stream or rivulet, or a small artificial channel for water. From Middle English *runel, rennel, rinel*, from Old English *rynel* ("that which runs; stream"), from Proto-Germanic *runilaz*, equivalent to *run* + the diminutive suffix *-el*. Unlike a brook, which suggests a settled, natural course, or a channel, which implies engineered purpose and scale, a runnel is diminutive and provisional. It is the silver thread of meltwater tracing a fracture in granite; the shallow gutter scoring a dirt path after a sudden rain; the glazed groove in a marble fountain guiding a silent, perpetual spill. It is the smallest signature of water's patient, directional will.

noun

A small stream, a rivulet.“Spring, is ye comen in, / Dappled larke singe, / Snow melteth, / Runnel pelteth, / Smelleth wind of newe buddinge.”
A small artificial channel for water to flow in.“Still lower down the slope, on a staircase by the Eastern Bastion, there is an elaborate piece of hydraulic science for checking the flow of water. A stone runnel is made to descend the stairs in a series of parabolic curves which would subject the water to friction, and thus reduce its velocity and the consequent danger of a flood on the pavement below.”

verb

To create channels for directing the flow of liquid.“Not all saltmarshes are suited to habitat modification, but where they are, runnelling provides long-term and cost-effective control with minor non-target impacts.”