gill

Significat (English)

Noun

1. A breathing organ of fish and other aquatic animals.
2. A gill slit or gill cover.
3. One of the radial folds on the underside of the cap of a mushroom, the surface of which bears the spore-producing organs.
4. The fleshy flap that hangs below the beak of a fowl; a wattle.
5. The flesh under or about the chin; a wattle.
6. One of the combs of closely ranged steel pins which divide the ribbons of flax fiber or wool into fewer parallel filaments.

Verb

1. To remove the gills from a fish as part of gutting and cleaning it.
2. To catch (a fish) in a gillnet.
3. To be or become entangled in a gillnet.

Verb

To act as a prostitute.

Synonyms

branchia

lamella

gills

wattle

lappet

ravine

rib

shutter

tun

zel

zill

branchiae

back-fold

luffer boards

back-shutter

back-flap

cheek

jalousie

jowl

Pronunciat com a (IPA)

/ɡɪl/

Etimologia (English)

Inherited from anglès mitjà: gille

Cognate with danès: gælle

Cognate with suec: gäl

Cognate with noruec: gjelle

Cognate with nòrdic antic: gjǫlnar

Cognate with grec antic: χελύνη

In summary

From Middle English gille, gylle (“gill”), of North Germanic origin, akin to Danish gælle, Swedish gäl, Norwegian gjelle, and further to Old Norse gjǫlnar (“lips”), which also may have had the meaning of "gills" (based on Old Danish fiskegæln (“gills”)). The Old Norse word has been suggested as deriving from Proto-Germanic *gelunō (“jaw”), which would make it root-cognate to Ancient Greek χελύνη (khelúnē, “lip, jaw”), χεῖλος (kheîlos, “lip”).
Displaced native Old English ċīe.