Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

sill

[sil]

noun

a horizontal timber, block, or the like serving as a foundation of a wall, house, etc.

the horizontal piece or member beneath a window, door, or other opening.

Geology. a tabular body of intrusive igneous rock, ordinarily between beds of sedimentary rocks or layers of volcanic ejecta.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English sille, Old English syl, sylle; cognate with Low German süll, Old Norse syll; akin to German Schwelle sill

Related forms

sill-like, adjective

un·der·sill, noun

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Sill is always a great word to know.

So is soil. Does it mean:

portion of the earth's surface consisting of disintegrated rock and humus

outer layer of the earth, about 22 miles deep under the continents and 6 miles deep under the oceans

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

Use the pieces of the old sill as a guide to mark the new lumber for sawing it to size.

Although types of solar sill designs vary, one proven design for field use is the single-basin.

Doing it on the exterior could trap moisture and compromise the sill.

EXPAND

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

Mount, a mountain in E central California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 14,153 feet (4314 meters).

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To sill

Collins

World English Dictionary

sill (sɪl)

—n
1.	a shelf at the bottom of a window inside a room
2.	a horizontal piece along the outside lower member of a window, that throws water clear of the wall below
3.	the lower horizontal member of a window or door frame
4.	a continuous horizontal member placed on top of a foundation wall in order to carry a timber framework
5.	a flat usually horizontal mass of igneous rock, situated between two layers of older sedimentary rock, that was formed by an intrusion of magma

[Old English syll; related to Old Norse svill sill, Icelandic svoli tree trunk, Old High German swella sill, Latin solum ground]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

sill

O.E. syll "beam, large timber serving as a foundation of a wall," from P.Gmc. *suljo (cf. O.N. svill "framework of a building," M.L.G. sull, O.H.G. swelli, Ger. Schwelle "sill"), perhaps from PIE base *swel- "post, board" (cf. Gk. selma "beam"). Meaning "lower horizontal part of a window opening" is

EXPAND

recorded from 1428.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

sill (sĭl) Pronunciation Key
A sheet of igneous rock intruded between layers of older rock. See illustration at batholith.

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help