Meaning & use
gill
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebiology
One of the thin flaps on the side of a fish or other water animal that take oxygen from the water.
Grammar: Usually plural when talking about the pair: 'the fish's gills'.
Patterns
- the gills of a fish
- breathe through gills
The fish opened and closed its gills as it swam.
Tadpoles have gills when they are young, but frogs lose them as they grow.
nouncountableold-fashionedBritish
A small unit of liquid volume equal to a quarter of a pint, about 142 milliliters.
Grammar: Often used in old recipes or when talking about a small drink.
Patterns
- a gill of something
The old recipe calls for a gill of cream.
He poured himself a gill of whiskey.
Word forms
| plural | gills |
|---|
Common combinations
- fish gills
- The fish's gills were bright red, showing it was healthy.
- gill cover
- The gill cover protects the delicate gills.
- gill slit
- Sharks have several gill slits on each side of their head.
- a gill of
- Add a gill of milk to the mixture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- branchia
- A technical term used in biology; gill is the everyday word.
Word family
- gilled adjective
- Having gills, as in 'a gilled animal'.
Commonly confused: gill or gill (unit)?
gill vs gill (unit)
This is a different sense of the same word, meaning a small liquid measure.
Practice
What is the main function of a fish's gills?
Choose one answer.
Gills are the organs fish use to breathe by extracting oxygen from water. The other options are not their primary function.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.