turlough

English

WOTD – 8 November 2013

Etymology

From Irish tur (“dry”) + loch (“lake”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɜː.lɒx/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: tur‧lough

Noun

turlough (plural turloughs)

1. (Ireland) A temporary lake in an area of limestone, filled by rising groundwater during the rainy winter season.
   • 2008, David Riley, A Celtic Tale, page 75:

     Naisi said that it was a turlough, or a disappearing lake, and that before the year's end, it would be full of water again.

   • 2011, Dermot Bolger, The Journey Home, page 108:

     How deep was that small lake—more a turlough really, filled with water in autumn and winter, a dry hollow in summer […]

Synonyms

• (temporary lake): vernal pool

Translations

temporary lake

References

• http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-tur1.htm