glen

See also: gleń, Glen, and Gleń

English

WOTD – 25 June 2017

Etymology

Raven’s Craig Glen in Dalry, North Ayrshire, Scotland, UK

From Middle English glen, borrowed from Irish gleann and Scottish Gaelic gleann, Old and Middle Irish glend, glenn (“mountain valley”), from Proto-Celtic *glendos (“valley”), hypothetically from Proto-Indo-European *glend- (“shore”) but the word may have been borrowed from a non-Indo-European substrate language. Compare Manx glion, Welsh glyn. Doublet of glyn.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: glĕn, IPA^(key): /ɡlɛn/
  • (pin–pen merger) enPR: glĭn, IPA^(key): /ɡlɪn/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

glen (plural glens)

1. A secluded and narrow valley, especially one with a river running through it; a depression between hills; a dale.
   • 1871, Charles Kingsley, “Down the Islands”, in At Last: A Christmas in the West Indies. […], volume I, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 41:

     What riches too, of gold and jewels, might not be hidden among those forest-shrouded glens and peaks? And beyond, and beyond again, ever new islands, new continents perhaps, an inexhaustible wealth of yet undiscovered worlds.

Derived terms

• Aeroglen
• Ardglen
• Campsie Glen
• Ferny Glen
• Forest Glen
• Glenaire
• Glenaladale
• Glenalbyn
• Glen Alice
• Glen Allen
• Glen Allyn
• Glenalmond
• Glen Alpine
• Glenalta
• Glen Alvie
• Glenarbon
• Glenaroua
• Glenaubyn
• Glenaven
• Glen Bain
• Glenbar
• Glenbawn
• Glen Boughton
• Glenbrae
• Glenbrook
• Glenburn
• Glenburnie
• Glen Cairn
• Glencoe
• Glen Creek
• Glendale
• Glendalough
• Glendambo
• Glendaurel
• Glen Davis
• Glenden
• Glendenning
• Glendevie
• Glendon
• Glendonald
• Glendon Brook
• Glendora
• Glen Douglas
• Gleneagle
• Glen Echo
• Glen Eden
• Glen Eira
• Glenelg
• Glenelg East
• Glen Elgin
• Glenelg North
• Glenella
• Glenellen
• Glen Ellyn
• Glen Esk
• Glenfalloch, Glen Falloch
• Glen Fergus
• Glenfern
• Glen Fiddich
• Glenfield
• Glenfield Park
• Glen Forbes
• Glen Forrest
• Glenfyne
• Glengallan
• Glen Gardner
• Glengarrie
• Glengarry
• Glengarry North
• Glengarry West
• Glengower
• Glengowrie
• Glenhaughton
• Glenhaven
• Glenhope
• Glenhope East
• Glen Huntly
• Glen Huon
• Gleniffer
• Glen Innes
• Glen Iris
• Glenisla, Glen Isla
• Glenlee
• Glenleigh
• glenlike
• Glenlofty
• Glenlogan
• Glenlogie
• Glenloth
• Glenloth East
• Glenluce
• Glenlynn
• Glenlyon, Glen Lyon
• Glenmaggie
• Glen Martin
• Glen Mervyn
• Glenmoral
• Glenmore
• Glenmore Park
• Glenmorgan
• Glen Nevis
• Glennies Creek
• Glenning Valley
• Glen Niven
• Glen Oak
• Glen Ogle
• Glenora
• Glenoran
• Glenorchy
• Glenore Grove
• Glenorie
• Glenormiston North
• Glenormiston South
• Glen Osmond
• Glen Park
• Glen Parva
• Glenpatrick
• Glenquarry
• Glenrae
• Glenreagh
• Glenridding
• Glen Ridge
• Glenrock, Glen Rock
• Glen Rose
• Glenrothes
• Glenrowan
• Glenrowan West
• Glenroy
• Glen Russell
• Glen Ruth
• Glen Shee
• Glenside
• Glenthompson
• Glenthorne
• Glentromie
• Glenugie
• Glenunga
• Glenvale
• Glen Valley
• Glenview
• Glen Ward
• Glen Waverley
• Glen William
• Glen Wills
• Glenwood
• Glenworth Valley
• Great Glen
• Groudle Glen
• Hirstglen
• Monarch Glen
• Nana Glen
• Riverglen
• Rocky Glen
• Rosa Glen
• Rossglen
• Rutherglen
• South Glencoe
• The Glen
• Warner Glen
• Watkins Glen
• Wattle Glen
• Woodglen
• Yarra Glen

Translations

secluded and narrow valley

• Albanian: grykë (sq)
• Armenian: հովիտ (hy) (hovit), լեռնագոգ (hy) (leṙnagog)
• Bulgarian: клисура (bg) f (klisura)
• Catalan: barranc (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幽谷 (zh) (yōugǔ)

• Dutch: dal (nl) n, vallei (nl)
• Finnish: notko (fi)
• French: vallon (fr) m
• Galician: valga (gl) f
• German: Tobel (de) m or n
• Greek: λαγκάδα (el) f (lagkáda)

  Ancient Greek: νάπη f (nápē), ἄγκος n (ánkos), βῆσσα f (bêssa)

• Irish: gleann m

  Old Irish: glenn n

• Macedonian: клисура f (klisura), глен m (glen)
• Manx: glion
• Marathi: आड f (āḍ), खोरा m (khorā)
• Polish: wąwóz (pl) m
• Portuguese: cânion (pt) m, ravina (pt) f
• Russian: лощи́на (ru) f (loščína)
• Scottish Gaelic: gleann m
• Serbo-Croatian: gudura (sh) f
• Spanish: barranca f
• Tumbuka: nguyi class 9
• Welsh: glyn (cy)

See also

• defile (noun)
• gully
• strath

See also

• glen plaid (probably etymologically unrelated)

Further reading

• glen on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• leng, Gen'l, gen'l, Genl, Engl, NELG, Engl., genl

Manx

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlen/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish glan, from Proto-Celtic *glanos (“clean, clear”).

Adjective

glen (plural glenney, comparative glenney)

1. clean, hygienic
2. clear
3. pure
4. downright, unqualified, emphatic

Derived terms

• neughlen

Etymology 2

From Old Irish glanaid (“cleanses, purifies, purges”), from the adjective.

Verb

glen (verbal noun glenney, past participle glennit or glent)

1. clean
2. clear
3. wipe
4. purify, cleanse

Slovene

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *glěnь.

Noun

glen m inan

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Further reading

• “glen”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2026