sill

See also:Sill

English

Pronunciation

enPR:sĭl,IPA^(key):/sɪl/
Audio(Southern England): (file)
Rhymes:-ɪl

Etymology 1

FromMiddle Englishsille,selle,sülle,fromOld Englishsyll,syl(“sill, threshold, foundation, base, basis”),fromProto-Germanic*sulī(“bar, sill”),fromProto-Indo-European*sel-,*swel-(“beam, board, frame, threshold”).

Cognate withScotssil,sill(“balk, beam, floor, sill”),Dutchzulle(“sill”),Low GermanSull,Sülle(“threshold, ramp, sill”),GermanSüll,Sülle(“threshold, sill”),Danishsyld(“base of a framework building”),Swedishsyll(“joist, cross-tie”),Norwegiansyll,Icelandicsyll,sylla(“sill”).Related also to GermanSchwelle( > Danishsvelle), Old Norsesvill,Latinsilva(“wood, forest”),Ancient Greekὕλη(húlē).

Noun

sill(pluralsills)

(architecture,also "window sill")Abreast wall;window breast;horizontalbrinkwhich forms thebaseof awindow.
She looked out the window resting her elbows on thewindow sill.
(construction)Athreshold;horizontal structural member of a building near ground level on afoundationorpilings,or lying on the ground, and bearing the upright portion of a frame; asill plate.
Coordinate terms:ground plate,groundsill,sole,soleplate,mudsill
(geology)Astratumof rock, especially anintrusivelayer ofigneousrock lying parallel to surrounding strata.
- 1980,Geological Survey Professional Paper, Volume 1119,U.S. Government Printing Office:
  Minor palingenetic magmas probably were generated at this time and intruded the mantling rocks in the form of smallsillsand apophyses[…].
- 2018,Tim Flannery,Europe: The First 100 Million Years,Penguin, published2019,page55::
  The molten rock in thesillsmay have ignited vast reserves of shallowly buried natural gas, much like a match applied to a gas barbecue.
A threshold or brink across the bottom of a canal lock for the gates to shut against.
(anatomy)A raised area at the base of thenasal aperturein theskull.
the nasalsill
(military,historical)The inner edge of the bottom of anembrasure.

Usage notes

Usually spelledcillwhen used in the context ofcanalorriverengineering.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, seeCitations:sill.

Derived terms

Related terms

lintel
platesense #13 (construction)

Translations

base of a window

Bashkir:тәҙрә төбө(təźrə töbö)
Bulgarian:перва́з(bg)m(perváz)
Catalan:ampit(ca)m
Czech:parapetm
Dutch:vensterbank(nl)f
Finnish:ikkunalauta(fi)
French:rebord(fr)m
Galician:piar(gl)m,peitoril(gl)m,soleira(gl)f
German:Fensterbank(de)f,Sims(de)morn,Fensterbrett(de)n,Brüstung(de)f,Fensterbrüstung(de)f
Greek:περβάζι(el)n(pervázi)
Hungarian:párkány(hu)
Irish:tairseachf
Italian:davanzale(it)m
Latvian:palodze
Lithuanian:palangė
Macedonian:пе́рвазm(pérvaz),симсm(sims)
Maori:pehipehi
Marathi:तळसरी(taḷasrī)
Norwegian:vinduskarm(no)m
Polish:parapet(pl)minan,podokiennikminan
Portuguese:parapeito(pt)m
Romanian:pervaz(ro)n
Russian:подоко́нник(ru)m(podokónnik)
Scottish Gaelic:sòlaf
Spanish:alféizar(es)m,antepecho(es)m,parapeto(es)m
Swahili:bado(sw)

horizontal member bearing the upright portion of a frame

Catalan:llindar(ca)
Finnish:palkki(fi)
French:linteau(fr)m
Galician:lintel(gl)m
German:Schwelle(de)f,Fachwerkschwellef,Fussschwellef,Fußschwellef
Greek:κατώφλι(el)n(katófli)
Italian:solettaf
Maori:paepae
Polish:podwalina(pl)f
Portuguese:lintelm
Russian:ле́жень(ru)m(léženʹ)
Spanish:dintel(es)m
Swahili:bado(sw)

layer of igneous rock

Finnish:kerrosjuoni
German:Lagergangm,Sillm
Greek:στρωματοειδής φλέβαf(stromatoeidís fléva)
Hungarian:teleptelér(hu)
Irish:urlár(ga)m
Latin:sillusm
Polish:sill(pl)minan
Russian:силл(ru)m(sill)
Spanish:lámina(es)f

threshold or brink across the bottom of the upper canal lock

Bulgarian:праг(bg)m(prag)
Finnish:pohjakynnys,kynnys(fi)
German:Drempel(de)m,Bodenstufef

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