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to the gills

 - 5 dictionary results

gill

1  [gil]
Use to the gills in a Sentence
–noun
1. the respiratory organ of aquatic animals, as fish, that breathe oxygen dissolved in water.
2. Also called lamella. one of the radiating vertical plates on the underside of the cap of an agaric mushroom.
3. ground ivy.
–verb (used with object)
4. to gut or clean (fish).
—Idioms
5. to catch (fish) by the gills in a gill net.
6. green or white around the gills, somewhat pale, as from being sickly, nervous, or frightened: When he heard how much the bill was, he looked a little green around the gills.
7. to the gills, Informal. fully; completely; totally: After that big meal we were all stuffed to the gills.
Origin:
1300–50; ME gile < Scand; cf. ON gjǫlnar < *gelnō; c. Swed gäl, Dan gælle, Norw gjelle gill

Related forms:
gill-less, adjective
gill-like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To to the gills
gill 1   (gĭl)   
n.  

  1. Zoology The respiratory organ of most aquatic animals that breathe water to obtain oxygen, consisting of a filamentous structure of vascular membranes across which dissolved gases are exchanged.

    1. The wattle of a bird. Often used in the plural.

    2. gills Informal The area around the chin and neck.

  3. Botany One of the thin, platelike structures on the underside of the cap of a mushroom or similar fungus.

v.   gilled, gill·ing, gills

v.   tr.

  1. To catch (fish) in a gill net.

  2. To gut or clean (fish).

v.   intr.
To become entangled in a gill net. Used of fish.

[Middle English gile, of Scandinavian origin.]
gilled adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Gill 
fem. proper name, see Jill.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2gill
Pronunciation: 'gil
Function: noun
1 : an organ (as of a fish) for obtaining oxygen from water
2 : one of the radiating plates forming the undersurface of the cap of a mushroom —gilled /'gild/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
gill   (gĭl)  Pronunciation Key 


(click for larger image in new window)

  1. The organ that enables most aquatic animals to take dissolved oxygen from the water. It consists of a series of membranes that have many small blood vessels. Oxygen passes into the bloodstream and carbon dioxide passes out of it as water flows across the membranes.

  2. One of the thin strips of tissue on the underside of the cap of many species of basidiomycete fungi. Gills produce the spore-bearing structures known as basidia.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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