dingle

From Middle English dingle (“a deep hollow; dell”), from Old English *dyngel, a diminutive of Old English dung (“dungeon; pit”), equivalent to dung +‎ -le (diminutive suffix). Compare Saterland Frisian Dongel (“hollow tooth, cavity”), English dimble (“a dingle, glen, retired place”).

Related to dungeon.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪŋɡl̩/

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• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡəl

dingle (plural dingles)

1. A small, narrow or enclosed, usually wooded valley.
   • 1954, J. R. R. Tolkien, “Chapter 4”, in The Two Towers, Book III:

     Turning to the left and skirting this huge hedge Treebeard came in a few strides to a narrow entrance. Through it a worn path passed and dived suddenly down a long steep slope. The hobbits saw that they were descending into a great dingle, almost as round as a bowl, very wide and deep, crowned at the rim with the high dark evergreen hedge.

• dingle-dangle (etymologically unrelated)

• elding, engild, gilden, ingled

Related to dangle and denge

dingle (imperative dingl or dingle, present tense dingler, passive dingles, simple past and past participle dingla or dinglet, present participle dinglende)

1. to dangle, hang, swing

• “dingle” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• dingla

Delated to dangle and denge

dingle (present tense dinglar, past tense dingla, past participle dingla, passive infinitive dinglast, present participle dinglande, imperative dingle/dingl)

1. to dangle, hang, swing

• “dingle” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.