rivulet

noun

riv·​u·​let ˈri-vyə-lət 

-və-

: a small stream

Synonyms

• beck [British]
• bourn
• bourne
• brook
• brooklet
• burn [British]
• creek
• gill [British]
• rill
• run [chiefly Midland]
• runlet
• runnel
• streamlet

Examples of rivulet in a Sentence

small rivulets trickled down the side of the cliff

Recent Examples on the Web

Constant rains feed sparkling rivulets that make the dark basalt bedrock glisten and the sheer green slopes shine. —Tim Ecott, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 May 2023

The dirt two-track twists through Mud Tanks Draw, an area of low ground between ridges where water runoff collects in a chain of pools, rivulets and mucky ponds. —Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024

Qwerty harnesses the buzz of that lifestyle with a scale that borders the operatic: yearning soul melodies interrupted by anxious ad libs, voice-note recordings, and phone-notification pings, with devious melodic rivulets to link the bustling movements. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 21 Mar. 2024

For those left behind, grief and uncertainty swirl together, muddy rivulets in a vast tributary. —Sabra Ayres, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian rivoletto, diminutive of rivolo, from Latin rivulus, diminutive of rivus stream — more at run

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rivulet

noun

riv·​u·​let ˈriv-(y)ə-lət 

: a small stream