nullah

nul·lah

(nŭl′ə)

n.

A ravine or gully, especially in southern Asia.


[Bengali and Hindi

nālā

, channel, nullah, and similar forms in other Indic languages, all from Middle Indic

nāḷa, nāla

, hollow stalk, tube, from Sanskrit

nāḍaḥ

, from

naḍaḥ

, reed, variant (perhaps influenced by Dravidian words akin to Kannada

naḷ

, reed) of

nadaḥ

; akin to Persian

nay

, reed, flute, Armenian

net

, arrow, and Hittite

nātaš

, reed, arrow, and perhaps further akin to Sanskrit

nadati

, he roars, howls, cries.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

nullah

(ˈnʌlɑː)

n

(Physical Geography) a stream or drain

[C18: from Hindi nālā]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

nul•lah

or na•la

(ˈnʌl ə)

n., pl. -lahs or -las. (esp. in S Asia)

a gully or ravine.

[1770–80; < Hindi nālā brook, ravine]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.