gilgai

English

Etymology

From Gamilaraay gilgaay (“small water hole”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɪlɡʌɪ/

Noun

gilgai (plural gilgais)

1. (Australia) A small concavity or depression between ridges, where rainwater gathers.
   • 1988, Tom Cole, Hell West and Crooked, Angus & Robertson, published 1995, page 160:

     Though it wasn′t a heavy storm it was enough to put water in gilgai holes and scatter the horses.

   • 2005, Randall J. Schaetzl, Sharon Anderson, Soils: Genesis and Geomorphology, page 283:

     Argilliturbation is manifested within Vertisol profiles and on the surface as gilgai microtopography, with relief exceeding commonly 15 cm (Fig. 10.35).

   • 2007, Richard Webster, Margaret A. Oliver, Geostatistics for Environmental Scientists, page 140:

     One of its most remarkable features is its patterns of gilgai. The gilgais are small, almost circular depressions from a few centimetres to as much as 50 cm deep in the plain and several metres across.

Synonyms

• crab-hole, dead-men's grave, melon hole